Bellator 243: Chandler vs Henderson 2 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview

• Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson run back their 2016 fight at Bellator 243 on Friday, August 7th
• Matt Mitrione battles Tim Johnson in the co-main event
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full Bellator 243 main card, below

Bellator is set to hold its second event since returning from its coronavirus hiatus, and it’s arguably better than the UFC Vegas 6 card this weekend. Bellator 243 airs live this Friday, August 7th, on Paramount Network and DAZN with the main card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET.

In the main event, former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler takes on former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. The co-main event sees heavyweights collide as Matt Mitrione battles Tim Johnson.

The table below shows odds for the entire main card at two different sportsbooks, followed by best bets for the event.

Bellator 243 Odds

All odds as of August 4.

Does Winner Earn a Title Shot?

Michael Chandler (20-5) returned to the win column back in December, scoring a first-round knockout win over Sidney Outlaw. Before that, he was knocked out in 61 seconds by Patricio “Pitbull” Freire to lose his lightweight title.

Chandler has held the Bellator lightweight title three different times and has notable wins over Eddie Alvarez, Patricky Freire (twice), Goiti Yamaguchi, Marcin Held, and Henderson (by split decision) in their first meeting.

Benson Henderson (28-8) is on a four-fight winning streak. Last time out, he beat Myles Jury by decision. Henderson made his Bellator debut in 2016, losing to Andrey Koreshkov for the welterweight title. He then beat Patricio Freire and fought Chandler for the lightweight title, losing by split decision.

In his career, the former UFC lightweight champion has notable wins over Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar (twice), Donald Cerrone (twice), and Jim Miller.

It’s surprising Bellator didn’t try to make this rematch sooner. They first met back at Bellator 265 in November of 2016, fighting to a split decision. Since then, Chandler has gone on to lose the belt, reclaim the title, and then lose it again. Henderson, meanwhile, has been beating a lot of up and coming prospects in Bellator and gets another chance to fight the former champion.

The big difference between this fight and the first one, besides not being for the belt, is that it is just three rounds. The shorter duration should make both fighters try to push the pace early. The winner has also been promised a title shot so the stakes are high for this one.

Chandler is a sizable favorite and should emerge with a win. It’s likely that he will be able to use his wrestling and striking to control the fight similar to the first and edge out a decision.

At these current odds, -230 is about as high I’d pay for Chandler. If you are going to bet Chandler, I’d recommend doing so now as I expect him to close around a -270 favorite.

Pick: Michael Chandler (-230)

Chandler vs Henderson Key Stats

Can Mitrione Snap His Losing Streak?

Matt Mitrione (13-7 and one no-contest) has not won a fight since February 2018. Since then, he suffered a decision loss to Ryan Bader, a no-contest against Sergei Kharitonov, and was then knocked out by Kharitonov. The former NFL player and UFC veteran has a ton of KO power and holds notable wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Derrick Lewis, and Kimbo Slice.

Tim Johnson (13-6) picked up his first Bellator win last time out in upset fashion, knocking out then-undefeated prospect Tyrell Fortune. Before that, he suffered KO losses to Vitaly Minakov and Cheick Kongo. Just like Mitrione, Johnson is a UFC veteran, earning notable wins over Marcelo Golm, Marcin Tybura, and Shamil Abdurakhimov.

This fight should not be hitting the scorecards. Both men have a ton of knockout power and both have been knocked out before. I like the underdog Johnson to get it done. We have seen Mitrione struggle to stuff takedowns, and Johnson is a very good wrestler. I expect him to look to take Mitrione down early and often and eventually score a ground-and-pound TKO.

Pick: Tim Johnson (+122)

Other Bellator 243 Picks:

• Curtis Millender (-300): Millender is the better fighter everywhere and I believe will earn a decision win using his wrestling. But, at -300, I wouldn’t lay that kind of chalk on him.
• Myles Jury (-250): Jury should be able to piece up Karakhanyan on the feet and earn a decision win, and at -250 there is some value to be had.