Bellator MMA looks to start the summer off with a bang at Bellator 297 this Friday. The 16-fight event features two world title fights and plenty of top ranked action to boot. Here are the best bets for fight fans this Friday night.
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Bellator 297: Best Bets
History Speaks: Vadim Nemkov Tops Yoel Romero to a Unanimous Decision
The main event features a light heavyweight title collision as defending champion Vadim Nemkov welcomes 46-year-old challenger, “The Soldier of God” Yoel Romero.
Historically, this fight favors Team Fedor’s Nemkov. Since claiming the title at Bellator 244, the 30-year-old Russian has gone the distance twice, earning unanimous decision victories over Corey Anderson and Phil Davis. Romero, on the other hand, has fallen in all of his attempts to capture gold via decision. Romero has scored two finishes in his last two fights, but with Nemkov having only ever been stopped once in 2013 against the now famed UFC star Jiří Procházka, the likelihood of the Cuban wrestler catching Nemkov is slim to none.
Nemkov is the safe bet here.
Heavyweight Openers Under 1.5
Bellator 297 will open the main card with a ranked heavyweight showdown as #4 ranked Daniel “The American Predator” James does battle with #10 ranked Gökhan Saricam. Combined, the heavyweight pair has 20 finishes amongst 23 victories, a near 87% finish rate.
James has finished his last five opponents via TKO, with notable wins over Tyrell Fortune and Marcelo Golm. Turkey’s Saricam has found four of his six stoppages in the first round. This fight will surely not require the judges’ scorecards.
The Prelim Parlay Pick
Bellator has slated 12 preliminary fights for Bellator 297. Amongst some of the most recognizable names in the promotion like Emmanuel Sanchez to up-and-coming undefeated prospects in Jordan Newman and Timur Khizriev, the prelim action is sure to deliver. Here are five picks to work into your parlay Friday night.
Archie Colgan-Moneyline (Opponent: Emmanuel Sanchez)
Cody Law-Moneyline (Opponent: Edwin Chavez)
Ramazan Kurmagomedov via Submission (Opponent: Jaleel Willis)
Shamil Nikaev-Moneyline (Opponent: Mike Hamel)
Karl Moore vs Alex Polizzi over 2.5 Rounds.
MMASucka has all the coverage fight fans need this week for Bellator 297 with live coverage Friday night.
