Bellator MMA resumes this weekend, with Friday and Saturday night cards coming from Mohegan Sun Arena, in Uncasville, Connecticut. Friday night features Bellator 245, with a light heavyweight fight between Phil Davis and Lyoto Machida serving as the main event. Davis is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight champion, while Machida held the same belt in UFC. This a rematch of the fight between these two at UFC 163, which Davis won on the cards — but in controversial manner. The co-headliner features Cat Zingano and Gabby Holloway in a women’s featherweight tussle. On Saturday night, Bellator 246, the main event is a fight for the Bellator Bantamweight Championship, currently vacant. Patchy Mix and Juan Archuleta, also a challenger for the featherweight title, will fight for the belt. The co-main event pits Jon Fitch against Neiman Gracie in a welterweight fight.
If you plan on including Bellator in your MMA betting for the week, take a look at the cards for each event and our thoughts on the headliners.
MMA Betting:
Bellator 245 and 246 MMA Preview
Bellator 245
Friday, September 11, 2020, 10:00 pm ET
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Main Card
- Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida
- Cat Zingano vs. Gabby Holloway
- Ed Ruth vs. Taylor Johnson
- Raymond Daniels vs. Peter Stanonik
Preliminary Card
- Rafael Carvalho vs. Alex Polizzi
- Tyrell Fortune vs. Jack May
- Keith Lee vs. Vinicius Zani
- Leslie Smith vs. Amanda Bell
Bellator 246
Saturday, September 12, 2020, 10:00 pm ET
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Main Card
- Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix
- Jon Fitch vs. Neiman Gracie
- Liz Carmouche vs. Deanna Bennett
- Derek Campos vs. Keoni Diggs
Preliminary Card
- Daniel Madrid vs Pat Casey
- Ty Gwerder vs. George Tokkos
- Davion Franklin vs. Ras Hylton
Bellator 245
Phil Davis vs Lyoto Machida gives us an intriguing underdog in Machida. In 2011, he delivered a crane kick at UFC 129 to beat Randy Couture, giving him the UFC Light Heavyweight belt. In the Bellator promotion, he lost for the first time about a year ago when Gegard Mousasi prevailed in a split decision. Many of his Bellator fights have taken place against established names on the downward side of their career arc. In Davis, though, he meets a fighter who has taken down Liam McGeary twice and remains a title contender.
Since Davis and Machida met at UFC 163, Davis has evolved from a wrestler to a more complete fighter, with a solid striking game. He dominated Karl Albrektsson back in 2019, and by now he has dealt with the top fighters in the Bellator light heavyweight division. The title currently belongs to Vadim Nemkov, but Davis wants a shot. Machida is 42 years old, but he will represent a challenge for him — and Davis can’t overlook Machida. Davis has won four of his last five fights, and he should be able to prevail here.
Final Prediction:
Davis wins via decision | Check the Odds
Bellator 246
Juan Archuleta vs Patchy Mix will yield a new Bellator bantamweight title. Kyoji Horiguchi vacated the belt in November after injuring his knee. He had won the title in a unanimous win on the cards over Darrion Caldwell in June 2019. Archuleta lost his featherweight title fight against Patricio Freire, but he got this chance in part for getting a reputation for having a willingness to fight as often as possible, with a goal of six fights per year. Archuleta enjoys the close striking game. He had reached a streak of 18 wins in a row until losing to Freire.
Mix has made his way in MMA thanks to a grappling game. In 24 of his fights (both pro and amateur), he has ended 11 via stoppage. In his last fight, against Yuki Motoya (with a 23-7 record), he finished the fight in fewer than two minutes, via guillotine choke. He is virtually the opposite of Archuleta in terms of fighting style, and he has developed a skill at getting things to the ground and twisting his opponents into submission.
Final Prediction:
Mix wins via stoppage | Check the Odds
