In a bantamweight bout co-main event on the main card Thursday, Matheus Mattos and Magomed Magomedov meet at Bellator 254 at the Mohegan Sun Area in Uncasville, Conn. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET.
Tune in to Bellator 254 this Thursday, Dec. 10th, prelims at 6 PM on CBS Sports Network
Mattos vs. Magomedov: Tale of the tape
Mattos (12-1-1) and Magomedov (16-1) have a few things in common. One, they will each be making their Bellator debuts in this battle in Connecticut, and two, each fighter’s only professional loss was against Petr Yan in the Absolute Championship Bekrut (ACB) promotion.
Mattos is a well-rounded fighter who might not enter the octagon with as much fanfare or anticipation as Magomedov, but he is good. In particular, the Brazilian fighter likes to do work on the canvas, and going to the guillotine choke is his best move.
Magomedov hasn’t fought since Nov. 10, 2018, in a win over Walter Pereira Jr. at ACB 90: Moscow, by way of guillotine. He has finished inside the distance in three of his past five fights, with all three wins by way of submission/guillotine. He will be making his Bellator debut and heads into this promotion with a lot of fanfare. This fight might be one of the most anticipated fights in years for Bellator.
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Matheus Mattos vs. Magomed Magomedov: Betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:45 a.m. ET.
MAGOMEDOV (-334) is a heavy favorite in this one, and rightly so. The well-rounded Mattos (+260) and Magomedov know each other well, having fought together on the ACB promotion, although this is their first head-to-head meeting. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this one go the distance, with Magomedov coming out on top. Betting the heavy favorite lightly is the best way to go, but if you can include him in a multi-fight parlay, that’s a better value play.
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