Bellator 222: MacDonald vs Gracie, Machida vs Sonnen Odds & Picks

• Bellator returns to Madison Square Garden this Friday
• Two titles are on the line at Bellator 222
• See the odds for every fight on the main card

Bellator returns to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday, June 14th for Bellator 222. Headlining the card is a  welterweight title fight and the semi-finals of the Welterweight Grand Prix with Rory MacDonald taking on Neiman Gracie. Also on the card is an intriguing light heavyweight bout between Chael Sonnen and Lyoto Machida. Meanwhile, the bantamweight title is also on the line while the likes of Dillon Danis on the card.

The main card airs live on Dazn at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Rory MacDonald vs Neiman Gracie Odds

All odds taken 06/11/19.

Fight Record and Recent History

MacDonald (20-5-1) is coming off of a controversial draw to Jon Fitch in the first round of the tournament. Many believe Fitch did enough to win the fight, but since MacDonald was the champion he retained his title and moved on in the Grand Prix.

Before that he lost to Gegard Mousasi when he fought for the middleweight title. In his first two Bellator fights, the Canadian beat Paul Daley by submission and then Douglas Lima by decision to win the title. He has notable wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley, BJ Penn, Demian Maia, and Nate Diaz, among others.

Gracie (9-0) beat the darkhorse of the tournament in Ed Ruth in the first round of the tournament. He won by submission, which is how he has won eight of his nine wins with the other coming by decision. He has wins over the likes of Javier Torres, Zak Bucia, and Rudy Bears, among others, but this will be his toughest fight to date.

MacDonald vs Gracie Tale of the Tape

There is a clear path to victory for both fighters which is why the odds are so close. If Gracie can get MacDonald down, there is a high possibility he submits the champ and becomes the new welterweight champion and advances to the finals.

But, if MacDonald looks like his regular self, he will have no problem with the undefeated fighter as he can stop the takedowns and pick a part Gracie and win by decision or stoppage. Ultimately, I think MacDonald winning is more likely and he will rematch Lima for the title later this year.

Pick: Rory MacDonald (-155)

Chael Sonnen vs Lyoto Machida Odds

Fight Record and Recent History

Sonnen (31-16-1) is coming off of a knockout loss to Fedor Emelianenko in the semi-finals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix. Before that, Sonnen beat Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva both by decision. Throughout his legendary career, “The American Gangster” has fought some of the top names in the sport like Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Michael Bisping, Shogun Rua, and Tito Ortiz, among others.

Machida (25-8) is coming off of a split-decision win over Rafael Carvalho in his Bellator debut. Before that, the Brazilian beat Vitor Belfort by knockout and Eryk Anders by decision. The legend has notable wins over the likes of Ryan Bader, Gegard Mousasi, Tito Ortiz, Shogun Rua, BJ Penn, and Rashad Evans, among others.

Sonnen vs Machida Tale of the Tape

If Chael Sonnen is going to win this fight he needs to take down Machida and use his wrestling as he did to Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva. Neither fighter had an answer to his ground game and wrestling, and he controlled the fight and won the fight by decision. It won’t be the most pleasant fight to watch, but the veteran knows what it takes to win.

If Chael Sonnen is going to win this fight he needs to take down Machida and use his wrestling as he did to Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva.

For Machida, he needs to be agile on his feet and avoid being taken down. He has a striking advantage over Sonnen, and “The American Gangster” has shown he can be rocked and knocked out quite easily, so it could just take one solid shot to end the fight. However, I believe Sonnen can out-wrestle Machida and grind out a decision win as the underdog. I like him at light heavyweight better than at heavyweight. The winner could very well get the title shot against Ryan Bader.

Pick: Chael Sonnen (+240)

The Rest of Bellator 222 Main Card