On the preliminary card of a big Bellator 289 event, one of the most interesting matchups will be between welterweights Kyle Crutchmer (9-1) and Jeleel Willis (15-4) when they meet in the Bellator cage. This is the last numbered event on the Bellator fight schedule of 2022. Check the Crutchmers vs Willis Best Bets below.
Let’s dive into this bout and breakdown both fighters to figure out what are the Crutchmer vs Willis best bets.
Crutchmer vs. Willis Information
- Venue and Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
- Date: December 09, 2022
- How to Watch: Showtime
Last Fight Records
Kyle Crutchmer is coming off of a decision victory over Michael Lombardo in April of this year.
Jaleel WIllis will be trying to bounce back from back-to-back submission losses, the last being in January of 2022 against Sabah Homasi.
Kyle Crutchmer vs. Jaleel Willis Analysis
To give you the Crutchmer vs Willis best bets, we need to break down both of these men’s skill sets and the numbers available throughout their careers.
Crutchmer is a two-time All-American and two-time Big-12 champion while wrestling at Oklahoma State, where he graduated from in 2017.
After college, he went into MMA training at the famous American Kickboxing Academy. This is where Daniel Cormier trained and now coaches along with Khabib and his team of Dagestani fighters.
Out of his 9 professional MMA wins, Crutchmer has 1 KO and 3 submission finishes. It is clear that he uses a wrestle-heavy attack inside the cage, much like the great fighters he is around in the gym at AKA.
Jaleel Willis is 15-4 in his pro career, including a 3-2 record under the Bellator promotion. He has zero finishes as a Bellator fighter, but is coming off of two-straight submission losses. This is going to be a big bounce-back test for him against a very good grappler.
Willis will have a big advantage in height and reach over Crutchmer in the cage on Friday. The length of Willis could come in handy if he uses it correctly to stay at his range on the feet and pick apart his opponent. Also, the long 74.5” reach can be used to lock up a submission in many different positions.
Odds Breakdown
Kyle Crutchmer
Crutchmer is the -230 betting favorite in this bout, according to Bellator odds. He has never been an underdog in his professional career. These lines mean that you would need to bet $230 to win $100 on Crutchmer this week.
Currently, the Crutchmer winning inside the distance prop bet is at +225. Him winning by submission is +335, which is very high value when you consider he is going up against a fighter who has been submitted twice in a row.
Jaleel Willis
Jaleel Willis is the +210 underdog currently going into Bellator 289. In Willis’ fight career since 2016, he has been the underdog only 3 times before this upcoming bout. His betting value has trended up 6% since the opening lines were released for this matchup.
The best prop bet available for Willis would have to be him winning by decision at +350. This is most likely the best possibility for him to gain a victory on Friday night and it increases his value by over 100 points. Those odds mean if you bet $100 dollars on Willis to win via decision, you will win $350.
Kyle Crutchmer vs. Jaleel Willis Betting Pick and Prediction
Making Bellator picks are not easy, but slightly easier than betting on a bigger promotion like the UFC. According to betting trends, the betting favorite comes out victorious the majority of the time.
The Crutchmer vs Willis best bets come down to what picks would give the bettor the best chance to win, while also bringing in the most value.
Our prediction of this fight is that Crutchmer will get the job done. His wrestling and cardio will be too much for Willis to handle over 15 minutes. Training with Khabib and his team at AKA is such a massive advantage in grappling and cardio.
With the style of fighting that Crutchmer brings, a decision win looks very likely against a guy in Willis that does not want to be finished.
Look for multiple explosive takedowns landed by Crutchmer on a tall, lanky athlete like Willis. Crutchmer will grind him out against the cage to a decision.
The second of the Crutchmer vs Willis best bets will have to be Crutchmer winning inside distance. This is a good pick to kind of hedge the originally prediction and still make money. You can also include the moneyline bet in a parlay to add to the value of multiple fights on that betting slip.
Pick 1: Kyle Crutchmer moneyline -230
Pick 2: Crutchmer to win by decision +100
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.