The biggest non-title fight on the Bellator 297 main card will be the meeting of two former title challengers Corey Anderson and Phil Davis, with Davis winning the belt already. Both are battle-tested veterans with long stints in the UFC and Bellator. Competing for an elusive world title belt around their waist.
Read further for a betting analysis and preview of this bout, along with an Anderson vs Davis prediction. Before making your picks on this week’s betting slate.
Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis Information
Corey Anderson vs Phil Davis
Location of the fight: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL.
Date and Time: Friday, June 16. 9:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: Showtime
Last Fight Record
Anderson is coming off a title fight loss to Nemkov last winter, in this same Chicago venue.
Davis is riding momentum from back-to-back wins against Romero and Anglickas, making his first appearance since March 2022.
Anderson vs. Davis Betting Analysis
Corey Anderson
At this point, Anderson is arguably the most talented non-world champion in light heavyweight MMA history. He was so close in the UFC during an era where the light heavyweight division was the toughest in the world, and now in Bellator, he has one title fight where taken away from him because of an accidental clash of heads.
Anderson is 16-6 with 8 TKO/KO victories under his belt at age 33. He is 3-1 in Bellator, with all three wins coming via TKO, according to MMA stats. His key weapons in the cage are his right overhand and his wrestling abilities. Tendencies in the cage are just as important as analytics when you are making an Anderson vs Davis prediction.
Phil Davis
At age 38, Phil Davis knows this is most likely his last opportunity to make another run at a world title. After losing to Nemkov in 2021, a win here against Anderson would be huge if Romero beats Nemkov this week as well.
Davis is 24-6 in his professional career, including 11 finishes; he has also never been finished himself. The tough, durable former Bellator world champion is looking to repeat history. He has a great right hand that has proven to take opponents out, and he will look for submissions after hurting someone.
Key Injuries
No injuries have been reported to the Bellator MMA, according to MMA news.
Anderson vs. Davis Betting Preview
After breaking down this fight analytically, you also should take the time to look at available betting lines if you want to bet on MMA.
Anderson is the -175 betting favorite over Davis (+150) this week in Chicago. Oddsmakers like Anderson here because he is the younger man and more physically imposing at this stage of both their careers.
The over 2.5 rounds is at -350; this means that the bookies are basically guaranteeing this fight goes to the scorecards. That seems like a crazy line to look at, knowing how big both of these guys are, and they are wearing 4-ounce gloves.
The most interesting line available is the prop bet for Anderson winning via TKO/KO at +500. Anderson has tons of power and lethal ground-and-pound ability, which makes this line very surprising.
Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis Betting Prediction
When you look at this fight from top to bottom and look at the styles both of these men bring to the table, there is only one pick to make.
The official Anderson vs Davis prediction is that Anderson will get his hand raised in front of his hometown and get right back in the passenger seat waiting for a title shot–probably cheering for Yoel Romero to win and get that easier fight.
The best bet is Anderson winning via TKO/KO at +500. The 38-year-old Davis’ durability might be running out, and it will be tough to handle ground and pound from Anderson.
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