Bellator 239: Ruth vs Amosov Odds, Picks & Betting Preview

• Ed Ruth looks to be the first person to beat Yaroslav Amosov
• Myles Jury seeks his first Bellator win in the co-main event
• See the betting preview for the main and co-main event and odds for the main card below

Bellator MMA is back in Thackerville, Oklahoma this Friday, February 21 for Bellator 239, with a very intriguing welterweight bout headlines the card.

In the main event, highly-touted prospect Ed Ruth gets his first main event spot against undefeated Yaroslav Amosov. The co-main event pairs UFC veteran Myles Jury against perennial Bellator contender Brandon Girtz.

The card airs live at 9pm ET. The table below shows the odds for the main card.

Bellator 239 Odds

*All odds taken Feb. 17

Will Amosov Improve to 23-0?

Ed Ruth (8-1) is on a two-fight winning streak after losing in the opening round of the welterweight grand prix where he was submitted by Neiman Gracie. Since then he TKO’d Kiichi Kunimoto and beat Jason Jackson by split-decision. He has been in Bellator since his first pro fight in 2016 and also holds wins over Ion Pascu and David Mundell.

Yaroslav Amosov (22-0) is a very impressive 3-0 in Bellator after fighting in the Russian and Ukraine regional scenes. The 26-year-old has had tough tests in the promotion and passed them all with flying colors after beating Gerald Harris and Erick Silva by unanimous decision and then submitting David Rickels. He also has a win over Roberto Soldic, who is now the KSW champion.

Both Ruth and Amosov are solid wrestlers, but when two wrestlers fight it is normally a standup fight. Yet,  I spoke to Ruth he made it clear he’s the better wrestler and is going to prove that in this fight. So, I expect this fight to hit the mat at some point, where it will be interesting to see who the better wrestler is.

On the feet, Ruth likes to be the one going forward and throwing a lot to frustrate his opponent and that will be key against Amosov who likes to grind people out. If the Ukrainian can make this a slow fight he will have success, but I like Ruth’s striking and grappling and pressure to grind out a decision win in what should be a very close and exciting fight.

Pick: Ed Ruth (+130)

Ruth vs Amosov Matchup Table

Can Jury Snap his Losing Streak?

Myles Jury and Brandon Girtz should be an all-action fight.

Both Jury and Girtz are entertaining fighters, with Jury on a losing skid while Girtz returned to the win column last time out. Jury is riding a three-fight losing streak but lost to top-caliber opponents in Chad Mendes, Andre Fili, and most recently, Benson Henderson in his Bellator debut. Girtz, meanwhile, beat Saad Awad last time out after being submitted by Michael Chandler.

In this fight, both Jury and Girtz are strikers so the fight should be mostly standing. Yet, if Myles Jury can get this fight to the ground he should have success with his ground-and-pound.

Ultimately, I suspect Jury to be the aggressor in this fight and pressure Girtz and secure a takedown to earn a ground-and-pound TKO win in the second or third round to get his first Bellator win.

Pick: Myles Jury (-250)

Other Bellator 239 Picks:

1. Tyrell Fortune (-625): Fortune is one of the top prospects in Bellator and he fights a name opponent in Tim Johnson who’s a UFC veteran. Fortune by first-round knockout is the pick.
2. Javy Ayala (+450): Ayala is a tough guy who even finished Frank Mir. His striking is underrated and he shouldn’t be this big of an underdog so all the value is on the American.