Bellator Champions Series Belfast will be the 302nd installment of this MMA promotion. The SSE Arena in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast will host Friday’s action. Max will carry the action via streaming. This is just the second time Bellator has held an event in Belfast and the first in seven years. This is also the first Bellator card since the Professional Fighters League (PFL) acquired the promotion in 2023. The headliner is a tilt for the vacant Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship belt between Corey Anderson and Karl Moore. Vadim Nemkov vacated the belt in 2021 and returned to heavyweight in 2021. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire will defend his Bellator Featherweight belt against Jeremy Kennedy in the co-main event. Read on to find the full fight card and our Bellator betting predictions for the top two fights.
Bellator Champions Series: Belfast, Corey Anderson vs Karl Moore for the Bellator MMA Vacant Light Heavyweight Championship | MMA Event
Corey Anderson -375 vs Karl Moore +310
This is the continuation of a quest for the title that Anderson started in 2022. An accidental head butt between Anderson and Vadim Nemkov brought their matchup to a halt. Anderson’s opponent this time around, Karl Moore, has a four-fight winning streak going, and Moore is a Belfast native, so the crowd will be on his side. Anderson’s striking has improved in recent years as he has taken on solid competition. Even so, Anderson is a grappler; he can exert heavy top control and bring a brutal ground and pound game. His wrestling fundamentals make it difficult for opponents to avoid takedowns and survive their time on the ground.
Moore also has some grappling skills to go along with solid striking. He also has elite cardio and can outlast opponents and deliver finishes. An exception came in his loss to Mauro Cerili, but for the most part, Moore is the one with gas left in the tank when the fight comes to an end. Moore’s competition has not been nearly as tough as Anderson’s has, though. Moore last fought Alex Polizzi, while Anderson last entered the cage to face Phil Davis. The edges that Anderson has in experience and grappling should lead to a finish in the fourth or fifth round.
Bellator Betting Prediction: Anderson wins via stoppage.
Bet on the Bellator Belfast: Anderson vs Moore!
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire -122 vs Jeremy Kennedy +110
Freire still has the Bellator Featherweight belt even though he has a two-fight losing streak. He’s still considered the greatest fighter in the history of Bellator despite those setbacks against Sergio Pettis and Chihiro Suzuki. There is a stereotype that fighters start to lose their edge in the lower weight classes after they turn 35, and “Pitbull” is 36. Jeremy Kennedy has just entered the peak of his MMA career; while he was in UFC, Kennedy developed a grappling ability that he uses to wear out his opponents and end up with more gas in the tank in the later rounds.
So we just don’t know if we will see “Pitbull” turn the clock back and deliver some big bombs, or if we will see Kennedy deliver the takedowns that drain the energy out of Freire and finish his tenure with the belt. This fight can largely be considered a toss-up, so I’m going with the value particularly with Freire’s two-fight losing streak.
Bellator Betting Prediction: Kennedy wins via stoppage
Main Card at DAZN/MAX
- Corey Anderson vs Karl Moore (Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs Jeremy Kennedy (Bellator Featherweight World Championship)
- Fabian Edwards vs Aaron Jeffery (Middleweight)
- James Gallagher vs Leandro Higo (Featherweight)
- Tim Wilde vs Manouel Sousa (Lightweight)
Preliminary Card
- Ciaran Clarke vs Darius Mafi (Bantamweight)
- Oscar Ownsworth vs Alfie Davis (Lightweight)
- Luke Trainer vs Grant Neal (Light Heavyweight)
- Nathan Kelly vs Vikas Singh Ruhil (Featherweight)
- Abraham Bably vs Isaiah Pinson (Heavyweight)
- Nate Kelly vs Jordan Elliot (Catchweight – 130 lbs)
Live Bellator Betting Odds For Today
Xbet Betting Lines for the Fight
Bellator Champions Series: Belfast
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