Bellator 216 Betting Preview & Picks

Bellator 216: Page vs Daley is set for February 16 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. You can catch the entire event on DAZN, and the main event is a quarterfinal bout between Michael Page and Paul Daley in the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. The co-main event is a heavyweight tilt between Cheick Kongo and Vitaly Minakov. Check out the full card as well as our MMA betting suggestions for several of the bouts below.

Bellator 216 Betting Preview & Picks

Main Card (DAZN)

• Michael “Venom” Page vs Paul Daley (Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal)
• Cheick Kongo vs Vitaly Minakov (Heavyweight)
• Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs Roy Nelson (Heavyweight)
• Yarsolav Amosov vs Erick Silva (Welterweight)
• Valerie Loureda vs Colby Fletcher (Women’s Flyweight)

Preliminary Card (Bellator.com / Bellator Mobile App)

• Alexandra Ballou vs Sarah Payant (Women’s Flyweight)
• Kastriot Xhema vs Kemran Lachinov (Welterweight)
• Pat Casey vs Nekruz Mirkhojaev (Lightweight)
• Rodolfo Neves Rocha vs Jesse Kosakowski (Welterweight)
• Demetrios Plaza vs Drews Rodriguez (Welterweight)

Michael “Venom” Page vs Paul Daley

It’s a match between one of the most dramatic fighters in Bellator with Page and a reliable deliverer of knockout finishes in Daley. Daley last lost at Bellator 199 against Jon Fitch via unanimous decision, while Page last fought at Bellator 200, where he defeated David Rickels via verbal submission to keep his undefeated record up and running. Given the punishment that Page likes to deliver, as long as he can avoid a home run blast from Daley, he should be able to deliver the win. Page delivers knockouts in a way that ends up on YouTube, and it is that flash that has him in this tournament. He has beaten such veterans as David Rickels, Fernando Gonzalez and Evangelista Santos recently, with the win over Gonzalez the most impressive in terms of showing that he was ready for the next level of fighter. Page brings creativity to his striking game, whether it is a flying knee or a kick at an unexpected moment. He does open up his defenses in this way, but when the surprises work, he wins. Daley is more of a pounder, delivering heavy shots and testing his opponent’s chin. It just takes one shot for Daley to win a lot of the time, but losses to Rory MacDonald, Jon Fitch and Douglas Lima have shown that when he doesn’t land that big blow, he often loses on the cards. He did beat Lorenz Larkin and Brennan Ward, but he has an uphill battle here. Bellator 216 Betting Prediction: Page wins via submission

Cheick Kongo vs Vitaly Minakov

This one features a former Bellator heavyweight champ in Minakov and a seasoned UFC veteran in Kongo. Minakov has had a layoff from Bellator for almost five years and hasn’t fought in the cage at all for more than a year. Minakov did win his last fight but then left Bellator because of a contract dispute. Kongo, despite the fact that he is 43, has continued to fight and has a seven-bout winning streak in Bellator. His most recent win came against Timothy Johnson at Bellator 208, when he delivered a knockout finish in the first round. While Kongo has that streak going, Minakov’s layoff has not been that long, and as the reigning champ, it’s hard to argue against another win. Bellator 216 Betting Prediction: Minakov wins via decision

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs Roy Nelson

This one is a rematch between two former UFC greats. Nelson won the first meeting back in 2011, and this should be another epic slugfest. After Nelson won the first time, it would make sense to back “Cro Cop” in the rematch, especially given the amount of time between fights. Bellator 216 Betting Prediction: Filipovic wins via decision