If you are looking up future MMA fights tonight at home, circle February 24 on your calendar because the first event of the new era of PFL and Bellator MMA takes place in Saudi Arabia with a Champions vs. Champions format.
We will preview and discuss four different championship matchups stacked in this event for betting. Along with those title fights, the undercard will have the first women’s MMA fight in Saudi Arabia’s history when champion boxer Claressa Shields crosses over to MMA once again to take on Kelsey DeSantis.
Some more notable fights on this Riyadh card include Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, making his professional MMA debut; and even fan-favorites Thiago Santos, Yoel Romero, Clay Collard, and AJ McKee will compete as well.
Let’s take a closer look at this PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions event and discuss how to bet on MMA next weekend.
𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Updated #PFLvsBellator Fight Card
• Magomed Magomedkerimov is out
• Ray Cooper III will now face Jason Jackson at Catchweight of 182 lbs
• Emmanuel Palacio steps in as Biaggio Ali Walsh’s new opponent #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/zo2T69JdHc— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 22, 2024
Undercard
The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions event stacks top-to-bottom, offering quality matchups for fans to bet on and enjoy, even in the prelims. Let’s take a closer look at a few key matchups you can bet on the 24th.
Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
This is an interesting matchup as Shields is a world-class athlete and DeSantis is an unknown 1-2 fighter who is 35 years old and seems to have a full-time job outside of fighting.
Shields is coming in as the -345 betting favorite and that is where your bet should go. Wait until we get closer to fight night for prop bets to be released because this has Shields by TKO/KO written all over it–probably the most favorable fight they could possibly make for her.
Clay Collard vs. AJ McKee
This is an awesome fight between two fan favorites from PFL and Bellator. The PFL odds for this one are surprising, having McKee as a pretty big -380 betting favorite and rating Collard as a much lesser fighter at +300.
While McKee exhibits superior talent as a mixed martial artist, Collard will be ready to engage in combat and present a formidable challenge for nearly anyone. With that being said, the wrestling and all-around talent of McKee is way too much to bet against–but you should sit back and enjoy this one.
Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
This is the best fight that PFL and Bellator could make on this card for the fans. Many fans probably had this as a dream matchup that never happened in the UFC, but now these two are older and in the same weight class–meaning it can finally be made.
Romero gets the slight edge at -115 odds over Santos’ -105 so you can basically look at this as a 50/50 matchup. It’s going to be hard for Romero to get on the inside but he is the more explosive fighter even entering his late 40s, so look for him to come out with explosiveness and excitement against an out-of-prime Santos who sometimes had trouble letting his hands go as a younger man.
Main Card
Jesus Pinedo vs. Patricio Pitbull
Pinedo was a surprise last year in the PFL featherweight division but he proved to be one of the best in the world. Pitbull is an all-time great and Bellator legend, putting on some of the biggest fights in that company’s history; but he will be in for a tough matchup in Riyadh.
With Pinedo as the -148 betting favorite, that line has plenty of value to bet on and win a good payout. Don’t count Pitbull out, though; his power will be the last thing to fade as he ages and he will want to represent Bellator MMA well on the 24th, a company to which he’s been loyal for his whole career.
Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
This is an awesome fight. Kasanganay is coming down from light heavyweight and hasn’t been in with the best competition, but he is very talented and is a very big and strong athlete. Eblen is arguably a top-3 middleweight in the world and could beat anybody, including the UFC champions. Eblen will be very tough to bet against anytime soon until he fights someone with legit world-class abilities and experience.
Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
For the main event at this PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions event, heavyweight champs Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader will square off. This is the most exciting fight of the night with the massive Ferreira going up against a seasoned veteran like Bader with experience against the best in the world over the last 20 years.
This is the toughest of all PFL predictions to make next weekend because heavyweight MMA is almost a completely different sport than the other weight divisions. One punch landed by either of these men could end the fight instantly.
With that being said, the power and speed advantage is clearly with Ferreira and that’s why it’s going to be very difficult to bet against him going up against the 40-year-old whose best wins at heavyweight are against an old Fedor Emelianenko in Bellator.
For more information about where to place your bets read our BetUs Review!
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