Predictions! Bellator Paris Full Main Card Preview, Picks | UFC Betting Sites

Bellator Paris is set to go down tomorrow (Fri., May 17, 2024) inside Accor Arena in Paris, France, which will be headlined by a Bantamweight title fight as division champion, Patchy Mix, attempts to defend his title for the first time against Magomed Magomedov. In the co-main event of the evening, Cedric Doumbe returns to face off against Jaleel Willis.

Bantamweight champion Patchy Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov

Patchy Mix is adamant he is a much better fighter than current UFC 135-pound champion, Sean O’Malley, and that he should be getting the respect “Suga” gets. While a lot of that can be attributed to fighting for UFC as opposed to Bellator, Mix is without a doubt one of the absolute best fighters in the Bantamweight division today. Winner of six straight, Mix will defend his title for the first time against Magomed Magomedov, a man he’s already defeated once before. Indeed, Mix took Magomedov out of the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix with a guillotine choke in Dec. 2022, so his confidence is sky high. Since then, Magomedov has only competed once, defeating Danny Sabatello in July 2023. Mix, meanwhile, won the interim strap and then unified it with a win over Sergio Pettis, and is looking for his second win over the Dagestani.

Final prediction: Mix via unanimous decision

Cedric Doumbe vs Jaleel Willis

Doumbe’s momentum was halted at PFL Europe 1 earlier this year in a bizarre finish in his fight against Baissangour Chamsoudinov. Indeed, Doumbe had a piece of glass lodged into his foot that prevented him from putting pressure on it, resulting in his first-ever defeat. Now, The rising sensation will look to get back into the win column in his Bellator debut. Initially slated to face Derek Anderson, the bout was axed after Anderson suffered a mangled foot in an auto accident (see it here if you dare). As a result, Doumbe will now face Jaleel Willis. who is coming off a loss to Ramazan Kuramagomedov and is just 1-3 in his last four fights. While it’s not an ideal opponent for Doumbe, it’s the best we can ask for ion short notice. Expect Doumbe to get back on track.

Final prediction: Doumbe via first-round TKO

Gregory Babene vs. Costello van Steenis

Winner of eight straight, Babene will attempt to lock down a career-high nine straight wins when he battles Costello van Steenis. Babene is on his second stint with Bellator, and has won two straight since re-joining the promotion in May 2022. Van Steenis, meanwhile, is coming off a loss at the hands of Douglas Lima a year ago, so he could use a win in a bad way. It may seem like an odd pairing given their respective body of work over the last few years, and the favorite is Bebene. That said, van Steenis does have a punchers chance, like any man/woman who steps inside the cage. But Babene is just more polished and has momentum on his side.

Final prediction: Babene via second-round submission

Yves Landu vs. Jonas Bilharinho

Yves Landu has had a hot and cold MMA career. One minute he’s on a nice run, the next he’s on a bad losing streak. Currently, however. “You Know” is riding high with four straight wins inside the Bellator cage, winning his last three via decision. As for Bilharinho, he will be making his Bellator debut after jumping around from promotion to promotion the majority of his career, including a spinning wheel knockout win on the Contender Series. Despite thre great finish, it wasn’t good enough to earn him a spot on the UFC roster. Landu is firing on all cylinders and I expect him to keep the winning streak going.

Final prediction: Landu via unanimous decision

Slim Trabelsi vs. Louie Sutherland

Undefeated big man, Slim Trabelsi, will look to improve his record to 7-0 when he goes blow-for-blow against Louie Sutherland. Trabelsi has won four of those fights via knockout, so his heavy hands are an ever-present danger to his foes, but Sutherland’s knockout ratio is a bit better, earning all six of his wins via strikes, five in the very first-round. “The Vanilla Gorilla” is coming off a first-round knockout win over Luis Carlos Brito, while Trabelsi was last seen defeating Davion Franklin at Bellator 300 as a result of a leg injury suffered by “All Day.” This is easily a pick-em fight that can go either way in the blink of an eye, so I am going with Sutherland to land the big shot early.

Final prediction: Sutherland via first-round knockout

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