Mohegan Sun Arena, in Uncasville, Connecticut, will be the site of Friday night’s Bellator 262 event. The headliner is a fight for the Bellator MMA Women’s Flyweight World Championship, as unbeaten Juliana Velasquez makes her first defense of the belt against elite kickboxer Denise Kielholtz, who already holds the Bellator Kickboxing Women’s Flyweight Championship and has a four-fight winning streak going in MMA, with a 6-1 record in Bellator MMA to this point. The co-headliner is a heavyweight matchup between Tyrell Fortune and Matt Mitrione.
Let’s take a look at the full fight card, along with our suggestions for your Bellator betting choices.
Bellator 262: Velasquez vs Kielholtz Preview
Main Card
Juliana Velasquez vs Denise Kielholtz (Bellator MMA Women’s Flyweight World Championship)
Tyrell Fortune vs Matt Mitrione (Heavyweight)
Matheus Mattos vs Cee Jay Hamilton (Bantamweigt)
Arlene Blencowe vs Dayana Silva (Women’s Featherweight)
Johnny Eblen vs Travis Davis (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card
Ronny Markes vs Said Sowma (Heavyweight)
Cody Law vs Theodore Macuka (Featherweight)
Diana Avsaragova vs Gabriella Guffin (Women’s Flyweight)
Johnny Soto vs Adil Benjilany (Featherweight)
Charlie Campbell vs Nick Giuletti (Lightweight)
Juliana Velasquez vs Denise Kielholtz marks Velasquez’s return to the cage after she took the women’s flyweight belt from Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, who had defended the title four times before going down. Velasquez won the fight on the cards, lasting all five rounds, but she has had seven months to recuperate. Her career has been solid ever since she turned pro in 2014, as she jumped out to a 5-0 record before Bellator inked her to a deal in 2017. Her background comes from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and four of her wins have come via the knockout. This suggests that she has a diverse fighting style that would serve her well against just about any opponent, and she has built a record of 11-0.
Kielholtz came into Bellator as a pure kickboxer, but since then she has made the move to MMA, and the change has paid off. She entered Bellator MMA near the end of 2017, going with a scarf-hold armbar to deliver the win. Then came the only loss of her career, and she reeled off a four-fight winning streak, showing that she was ready for this type of fighting. For Kielholtz to win, she will need to stay upright if she wants to beat Velasquez. Her ground game is good enough to ward off Velasquez attacks. However, Velasquez comes in deservedly as the favorite, and I expect her to keep the belt.
Final Prediction:
Velasquez wins via decision
Tyrell Fortune vs Matt Mitrione marks the latest adventure for rising phenom Tyrell Fortune. He joined Bellator after wrestling with Grand Canyon University and Team USA, and at his 2016 promotion debut, he delivered a ground-and-pound stoppage in the opening round — and he did it again in his second bout. Mitrione played college football at Purdue and then played in the National Football League. He fought on The Ultimate Fighter 10 and earned himself 14 fights for UFC. While with them, he took on some of the planet’s top MMA heavyweights. Coming to MMA, Mitrione won his first four bouts. Once he was matched with tougher fighters, though, matters changed, and he now has a three-bout losing streak.
For Mitrione to win, he will have to carry out a perfect plan. Fortune tends to wait for a chance to get his opponent to the ground and then turn the fight in his direction. Mitrione’s athleticism has deteriorated over time, and so he will have a difficult time keeping away from Fortune’s grasp and pulling off the upset.
Final Prediction:
Fortune wins via stoppage
Bellator Betting Odds
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