Bellator 264 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview – Mousasi vs Salter

• Gegard Mousasi defends his middleweight title against John Salter
• Former champ Andrey Koreshkov returns in the co-main event
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full Bellator 264 main card, below

Bellator returns to Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday, August 13, and the middleweight title is up for grabs. In the main event, middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi defends his belt for the first time since reclaiming it when he takes on John Salter.

The co-main event sees former welterweight champ Andrey Koreshkov battle Sabah Homasi.

Bellator 264 airs live on Showtime and on YouTube for Canadians on August 13, 2021, at 9 pm ET. The table below shows odds for the main card followed by best bets.

Bellator 264 Odds

Odds as of August 10.

Will Mousasi Defend His Belt?

Gegard Mousasi won the vacant middleweight title last time out with a decision win over then-welterweight champ Douglas Lima. He held the belt previously from May 2018 to June 2019. John Salter, meanwhile, will fight for the belt for the first time. Like Mousasi, Salter is also a UFC veteran.

Mousasi & Salter Recent Fights

Mousasi has been slow to pull the trigger in his past three fights and it cost him his world title to Lovato Jr.  In order to beat Salter, he will need to get the jab going early. Salter, meanwhile, will have to try to get Mousasi to the ground and initiate his grappling as Lovato Jr. did to Mousasi.

Mousasi vs Salter Stats

Salter deserved the title shot but he will have his hands full against Mousasi. Salter got to the UFC when he was just 4-0 and went 1-2 in the promotion before getting cut. Since then, he has picked up some wins on the regional scene and has found tremendous success. Mousasi, however, was a top-five middleweight in the UFC with wins over the likes of Chris Weidman, Thiago Santos, Uriah Hall, and Dan Henderson among others.

Ultimately, in this fight, Mousasi should be able to stuff the shots of Salter. On the feet, Mousasi will pick Salter apart. In the third or fourth round, he will likely pick up the pressure and earn a TKO win to defend his belt.

Pick: Gegard Mousasi (-320)

Will Koreshkov Make Good On His Return?

Andrey Koreshkov was always a top-three welterweight when he was in the promotion but, in his last fight back in February, he fought in Russia which was his first fight since 2019. Homasi, meanwhile, is an all-action fighter who had a stint in the UFC but was released after going 0-3.

Koreshkov & Homasi Recent Fights

I don’t understand the matchmaking of this one as I think this is a total mismatch and a fight Koreshkov should dominate in. Homasi has legit one-punch KO power but he often gasses himself early and has poor takedown defense which I expect Koreshkov to exploit.

Koreshkov should be able to avoid the power shots and start to take over in the second round. Once he gets the fight to the mat, he should get a ground-and-pound TKO win.

Pick: Andrey Koreshkov (-435)

Other Bellator 264 Picks:

• Magomed Magomedov (-435): I think the odds are a bit too wide but Magomedov is the better grappler and should be able to control the fight.
• Davion Franklin (-260): Franklin should be able to keep it standing and eventually find the KO shot.
• Ty Gwerder (-275): Gwerder will be able to find the chin of Bestaev who has bad striking defense. Gwerder will eventually get the TKO.