Bellator 233 Salter vs Van Steenis: Odds, Picks & Betting Preview

• John Salter takes on Costello Van Steenis in a very critical middleweight main event
• ‘King Mo’ is set for his retirement fight
• See the odds and predictions for the main and co-main event

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Bellator is in Thackerville, Oklahoma on Friday, Nov. 8 for Bellator 233. In the main event, longtime Bellator fighter and UFC veteran, John Salter, battles Costello Van Steenis in a very intriguing bout.

The co-main event sees Muhammed Lawal taking on Andrew Kapel in what will be Lawal’s final MMA fight.

John Salter vs. Costello Van Steenis Odds

All odds taken November 6th

Does Winner Get a Title Shot?

John Salter (16-4) returned to the win column last time out with a submission win over Chidi Njokuani. The 34-year-old has been in Bellator since 2015 and has put up a 6-1 record in the promotion, with his only loss coming to current middleweight champion, Rafael Lovato Jr. He also fought in the UFC early on in his career, where he went 1-2 and was released. In his career, he has notable wins over Jason MacDonald, Dustin Jacoby, Brandon Halsey, and Kendall Grove.

Costello van Steenis (12-1) is riding a six-fight winning streak including being 4-0 in Bellator. His main training partner and someone he considers a mentor is fellow Dutchman in Gegard Mousasi. The 27-year-old has notable wins over Mike Shipman, Chris Honeycutt, and Kevin Fryer, but Salter is the biggest name he has fought.

Tale of the Tape

This is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. John Slater will want to take this fight to the mat while van Steenis, who comes from a kickboxing will want it to keep standing.

In this fight, Salter will need to hide his takedowns with punches and kicks early on, and show van Steenis he has to be respected on the feet, too. Once he does that, he will be able to fake an overhand punch and go in for a takedown and get the fight to the ground. For van Steenis, his kicks will be crucial in this fight to keep Salter at range and out of the range for a takedown.

This fight will really come down to who implements their game plan the best, which I think Salter will be able to. This is a big step up in competition for van Steenis and I think it will be too much for him. Salter should have some success on the feet but he will win this fight by submission, and possibly earn a rematch against Lovato Jr.

Pick: John Salter (-155)

Muhammed Lawal vs. Andrew Kapel Odds

Will ‘King Mo’ Go Out With a Win?

Muhammed Lawal (21-9 and one no-contest) is set for his retirement fight. ‘King Mo’ is a legend of this sport and is the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. He has primarily been fighting in Strikeforce and Bellator with a few bouts in RIZIN.

Lawal has fought some of the top names in the sport like Ryan Bader, Quinton Jackson, Mirko Cro Cop, and Gegard Mousasi. He is currently on a three-fight losing streak but has notable wins over Jackson, Jiri Prochazka, Cheick Kongo, Mousasi, and Mark Kerr among others.

Andrew Kapel (14-6) is on a four-fight winning streak and set for his Bellator debut as the 34-year-old has been fighting on the regional scenes in his career. On the regional scenes, he did fight UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith, in which Kapel lost the fight.

Tale of the Tape

Bellator is setting this fight for Lawal to end his career with a win, and most likely doing so in impressive fashion. They signed Kapel, a longtime regional scene veteran for this fight. There, is no question who they want to win, and really this should be a win for Lawal in the end.

King Mo is a better wrestler and striker, yet his chin is a cause of concern. Lately, all it has taken is one punch to put his lights out. So, he has to be careful of the power Kapel has, but, I believe Lawal’s wrestling will be too much as he will win this fight by decision or possibly TKO by ground and pound.

Pick: Muhammed Lawal (-300)