Bellator 279 Odds, Picks & Predictions – Cyborg vs Blencowe 2

• Bellator is back in Hawaii for cards on Friday and Saturday night, with Bellator 279 going down on Saturday
• In the main event, Cris Cyborg is looking to defend his featherweight belt again
• See the Bellator 279 odds below, along with our best bet predictions for the main card

Bellator returns to the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, for Bellator 279 on Saturday, April 23. In the main event featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg looks to defend her belt as a -900 favorite in the Bellator 279 odds against Arlene Blencowe.

The bantamweight grand prix’s first-round also kicks off, including an interim title fight between Raufeon Stots and Juan Archuleta in the co-main event.

Bellator 279 main card airs live on Showtime at 10:30 PM EDT, with the card airing for free on YouTube in Canada. The table below shows Bellator 279 odds for the main card at DraftKing Sportsbook followed by best bets.

Bellator 279 Odds

All odds as of Apr. 21 at DraftKings Sportsbook

Cyborg vs Blencowe 2 Odds, Prediction & Best Bet

Cris Cyborg beat Arlene Blencowe with ease back in November of 2020, so it is a surprise they are rematching. Yet, the former UFC champ has cleared the division, so it will likely be rematches from here on out.

Cyborg vs Blencowe Recent Fights

The first fight between these two was one-sided as Cyborg dominated from start to finish. She hurt Blencowe on the feet and then subbed her in the second round, it was also Cyborg’s first career submission win. Since going to Bellator she has been playing with her food as none of the fights have been close, which is why she is such a big favorite.

Cyborg vs Blencowe Stats

Cyborg had finished all four of her fights since signing with Bellator, and it’s expected she does the same on Saturday night in Hawaii. Blencowe is known as a striker, and does have power, but as we saw in the first fight, her only chance of winning is landing a big shot that KO’s Cyborg. However, Cyborg has proven to have a good chin so that seems unlikely.

Ultimately, Cyborg’s striking is much better than Blencowe, and she will piece up the Australian and once again will hurt her on the feet. This time I expect the champ to get the TKO win as she will finish it via ground strikes in the first or second round.

Cyborg inside the distance is still -400, but I’d rather parlay that number with some other fighters on this card or on the UFC Vegas 52 card. She’s the safest play and will likely be in everyone’s parlay this weekend.

Pick: Cris Cyborg (-900)

Stots vs Archuleta Bellator 279 Pick

The co-main event was supposed to be bantamweight champ Sergio Bettis looking to defend his title for the second time against his teammate Raufeon Stots. However, Pettis was forced out of the grand prix so Bellator reshuffled the fights and landed on Stots vs Archuleta for the interim strap.

Stots & Archuleta Recent Fights

It should be noted that all the grand prix fights are five rounds which adds another wrinkle to breaking down the fights. We have seen Archuleta go five rounds while Stots has not gone five rounds since being a regional champ in 2017.

This fight is evenly matched as Archuleta will have the advantage on the feet, but Stots’ pace and wrestling have been the difference. Mix had success with his grappling, and Stots is the better wrestler which is why I expect him to outwrestle Archuleta and control him for a decision.

Stots can be a parlay piece with Cyborg or look for Stots by decision. MMA bettors can also find Bellator 279 odds on the BetMGM app.

Pick: Raufeon Stots (-255)

Other Bellator 279 Picks:

• Kyoji Horiguchi (-225): Horiguchi takes on Mix in the grand prix and Horiguhci’s striking and wrestling will be too much and late in the fight he will eventually find the storage.
• Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (-320): The former champ returns at home in Hawaii and gets a favorable matchup here. Macfarlane is a great parlay piece as she should submit Justine Kish early in this one.