Middleweights will be the theme for Bellator 61 betting as the promotion heads south to Bossier City, Louisiana. The sportsbooks are currently offering action on the five main card fights.
In the main event a Heavyweight tournament semi-final from last season between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos will finally be played out, and the rest of the Bellator 61 main fight card will consist of four Middleweight tournament quarterfinals.
The low-blow from Thiago Santos (10-1-1NC) on Eric Pringle (7-1-1NC) at Bellator 59 delayed the outcome of the Season 5 Heavyweight tournament, but the two are ready to settle the deal this weekend. Oddsmakers at Bovada have Santos as the heavy -485 favorite while the Prindle upset currently pays +350. Santos showed he has no problem taking down Prindle in their first fight, and will likely do the same this time around for either a submission or decision win.
In the Middleweight tournament fights Maiquel Falcao (28-4-1NC) is a big -290 favorite at Bovada against Norman Paraisy (10-1-1-1 NC). Paraisy has displayed a questionable heart in the past and could crumble when the fight gets tough and things don’t go his way. The upset line is currently worth +230, and in our opinion should be worth more than that.
Vitor Vianna (12-2-1) vs. Brian Rogers (8-3) is the fight that’s handicapped the closest on the fight card. Vianna is currently a Bovada -170 favorite while a Rogers win pays +140. Vianna is the superior technical fighter of the two and should be able to weather the Rogers storm long enough to close the deal in the second or third round.
Victor O’Donnell (11-3) is a +205 underdog at Bovada to beat former M-1 Light Heavyweight champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (15-1). The Russian Vasilevsky is on a 14-fight win streak and comes at an inexpensive price of -265.
Brunos Santos (12-0) takes his undefeated record in the cage against Giva Santana (17-1), but is currently the underdog at +155. Santana’s submissions should be the difference in this fight, and at -185 the world-class ground game of Santana is coming at a major bargain.