Bellator 263 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview – Pitbull vs McKee
- The finals of the featherweight grand prix headlines Bellator 263 on Saturday, July 31
- Patricio Pitbull defends his featherweight strap against AJ McKee in the main event
- See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full Bellator 263 main card, below
Bellator is back on the road as they are at The Forum in Inglewood, California on Saturday, July 31 for Bellator 263. The card goes head-to-head with the UFC on Saturday but the best fight of the weekend is Bellator’s main event which sees champ-champ and the best fighter in Bellator history defend his featherweight strap against homegrown undefeated phenom, AJ McKee.
The fight also serves as the finals of the featherweight grand prix where the winner will not only win the grand prix belt but the featherweight belt and a $1 million. The co-main event sees Emmanuel Sanchez take on Mads Burnell at featherweight.
Bellator 263 airs live on Showtime and on YouTube for Canadians on July 31st, 2021, at 9 PM EST. The table below shows odds for the main card followed by best bets.
Bellator 263 Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Patricio Pitbull | -122 |
| AJ McKee | +100 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Emmanuel Sanchez | -126 |
| Mads Burnell | +104 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Usman Nurmagomedov | -1000 |
| Manny Muro | +620 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Islam Mamedov | -198 |
| Brent Primus | +160 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Chris Gonzalez | +120 |
| Goiti Yamauchi | -146 |
Odds as of July 28 at FanDuel
Who Leaves As the Champ & Grand Prix Champion?
Not only is Patricio Pitbull vs AJ McKee the best fight of the weekend, but it’s also easily the biggest and best fight in Bellator history. Pitbull is the current featherweight and lightweight champ and is the best fighter in Bellator history. McKee, meanwhile, has had all of his 17 pro fights in Bellator and he’s an undefeated phenom, and when the grand prix was created, this was the fight that everyone wanted in the finals and we get it.
Pitbull & McKee Recent Fights
| Emmanuel Sanchez, win by submission (title fight) | Fight 1 | Darrion Caldwell, win by submission |
| Pedro Carvalho, win by KO (title fight) | Fight 2 | Derek Campos, win by submission |
| Juan Archuleta, win by decision (title fight) | Fight 3 | Georgi Karakhanyan, win by KO |
| Michael Chandler, win by KO (lightweight title fight) | Fight 4 | Pat Curran, win by decision |
Both Pitbull and McKee are so well-rounded which makes this fight that much better. Both fighters have legit KO power and can end the fight with one punch while if it hits the mat, they are both high-level grapplers who can quickly find a submission.
This fight could really come down to who makes the first mistake as they both are so good and technical, it just might be who lands the bigger shot first. Yet, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see one fighter just dominate the either and get a quick finish and prove they are the best.
Pitbull vs McKee Stats
| 34 | Age | 26 |
| 5’6″ | Height | 5’10” |
| 65.5″ | Reach | 73.5″ |
| 13 | Bellator Finishes | 12 |
Although McKee has a reach advantage, Pitbull usually is the smaller fighter but the way he fights he can close the distance quickly and land the big shots. McKee, however, is good at using his range so it will be interesting to see how the champ will be able to face him.
I do expect Pitbull to try and take McKee down, as the undefeated fighter is so dynamic on his feet he could pose some problems for Pitbull. Yet, McKee has good grappling and good scrambles that I do think he will get back to his feet. After doing that a few times and using his jab to piece up the champ, Pitbull will then start to get frustrated and try and rush into something to close the distance where McKee will catch him with a check hook that drops him and he finishes him off with strikes in the third or fourth round.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised if it went the distance, but no matter what, I like McKee to get the win and become the new featherweight champ.
Pick: AJ McKee (+100)
Does Sanchez Rebound Off the Loss to Pitbull?
Emmanuel Sanchez got to the semifinals of the grand prix but suffered a submission loss to Patricio Pitbull back in April. Mads Burnell, meanwhile, was a surprise release from the UFC after going 1-2 and reclaiming his Cage Warriors featherweight strap before going 2-0 in Bellator and now has his third fight in the promotion.
Sanchez & Burnell Recent Fights
| Patricio Pitbull, loss by submission (title fight) | Fight 1 | Saul Rogers, win by submission |
| Daniel Weichel, win by decision | Fight 2 | Darko Banovic, win by TKO |
| Tywan Claxton, win by submission | Fight 3 | Steve Aimable, win by decision |
| Georgi Karakhanyan, win by decision | Fight 4 | Dean Trueman, win by submission |
This is a fascinating fight that will be back-and-forth where I expect Sanchez to get the better of Burnell on the feet. However, I do think Burnell will then turn to his wrestling and grappling and either get a submission win or control the final two rounds on the ground to win a decision.
Pick: Mads Burnell (+104)
Other Bellator 263 Picks:
- Usman Nurmagomedov (-1000): Nurmagomedov will get Muro down early and get a submission or ground and pound TKO win in the first.
- Islam Mamedov (-198): Mamedov is a force to be reckoned with and I like him to out grapple Primus and be grind out a decision win.
- Goiti Yamauchi (-146): I expect Yamauchi to use his grappling to be able to grind out a decision win.
Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.
