Bellator 282: Mousasi vs Eblen preview & best bets – 6/24/2022

Gegard Mousasi will attempt to defend his Bellator Middleweight Championship against Johnny Eblen in the main event of this Friday night’s Bellator 282. The card will also feature two quarterfinal bouts of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix. This is BettingPlanet’s main card preview, including our best bets for the night.

Middleweight: Gegard Mousasi (-240) vs Johnny Eblen (+205)

Gegard Mousasi (49-7-2) picked up his fourth straight win and his second straight Bellator Middleweight Championship defense with a knockout win over Austin Vanderford at Bellator 275. Mousasi is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter outside of the UFC, and he’s got a 12-1-0 record since 2016 with eight knockouts and six title fights over that stretch.

READ: UFC on ESPN 38 main card preview & best bets

Johnny Eblen (11-0-0) is off to a perfect 11-0 start to his professional career including a 7-0 record through his first seven fights in Bellator. Eblen has five career knockouts, though only two of those have come since joining Bellator in 2019. This will obviously be Eblen’s toughest test to date, and while he has certainly earned this title shot, Mousasi figures to be too much for him to handle. We expect the champion to keep rolling in this one.

Bantamweight: Leandro Higo (+385) vs Danny Sabatello (-550)

Danny Sabatello (12-1-0) has won each of his last six straight fights including his first two bouts in Bellator against Brett Johns and Jornel Lugo. Leandro Higo (21-5-0) has strung together wins in each of his last three fights since opening his Bellator career with a 1-3 SU record with the promotion. Higo has 12 career submission wins, so there’s a case to be made for taking a stab on him to steal this one with a timely submission as a big underdog. But Sabatello is the clear favorite for good reason; he’s the far more talented fighter and should control the tempo the majority of the time en route to a comfortable win.

Bantamweight: Magomed Magomedov (-160) vs Enrique Barzola (+140)

Magomed Magomedov (18-2-0) had a five-fight winning streak snapped in a decision loss to Raufeon Stots at Bellator 264. Enrique Barzola (18-5-2) is off to a 2-0 start with Bellator after going 1-2-1 in his final four fights in the UFC. It’s tough to pick against Magomedov here, who is getting a value price coming off of a loss against a very talented fighter in Stots. Magomedov’s two career losses have come against two very good opponents in Stots and Petr Yan; Barzola is solid, but not at a level that should give Magomedov trouble.

Welterweight: Brennan Ward (-260) vs Kassius Kayne (+220)

Brennan Ward (15-6-0) is an all-or-nothing type of fighter with all but one of his career wins coming by stoppage and all six of his losses coming by stoppage. Kassius Kayne (12-7-0) is set to make his Bellator debut with eight knockout wins and three submission wins on his resume. Ward is only 2-3 over his last five fights, so this price seems a bit steep; but considering Kayne’s underwhelming record against inferior opponents, it’s also tough to make a strong case for him. This fight should be short and a lot of fun, and Ward is likely the one to come away with the victory.

More sports betting picks