Prospects Look To Impress for Bellator 276 Main Card
Bellator 276 features no championship fights but packs a four-fight main card filled with blue-chip prospects. This includes a featherweight title eliminator between Mads Burnell and Adam Borics. The MMA betting odds are all over the place here as we will see which prospects can graduate into legitimate contenders.
- Date: March 12, 6 p.m. ET
- Venue: The Family Arena, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Watch on: Showtime
Bellator 275 Main Card Preview
Burnell vs Borics
Mads Burnell and Adam Borics are both gunning for a title shot but will do so in different ways: Burnell (16-3-0) as the grappler and Borics (17-1-0) as the striker.
The former has gone 7-0 since leaving the UFC and this includes being 3-0 in Bellator with two finishes and a win over Emmanuel Sanchez, a two-time title challenger. Borics’ only loss is against former bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell. He has won over former featherweight champion Pat Curran and the highly touted Aaron Pico.
Burnell is favored quite significantly here at -230 per the online sports betting lines. He should be able to mix it up and wear Borics down with his grappling. But if Borics can keep the fight standing long enough, he could pull off an upset as he is one of the best strikers at 145 lbs.
Anglickas vs Gets – Stiff Test Against A Former Champ
Julius Anglickas is coming off a loss in a title fight to Vadim Nemkov, and must now turn back a former champ in Phil Davis. He isn’t favored to win here as a +220 underdog as he is susceptible to getting outwrestled by Davis (23-6-0).
Anglickas (10-2-0) will need to find a way to keep this fight standing as Davis can get gunshy once he starts failing on takedowns. Davis’s six losses have only come against champions and title contenders so a win over him will prove that Anglickas is ready for a rematch with Nemkov.
Eblen vs Salter
Unbeaten prospect Johnny Eblen could be the next big thing coming out of American Top Team as he is 6-0 since joining Bellator. Aptly named “The Human Cheat Code,” Eblen (10-0-0) has looked peerless in his pro career so far and John Salter figures to be just another scalp per his -300 MMA odds.
Salter (18-5-0) is coming off a loss against the champion, Gegard Mousasi. That isn’t shameful as Mousasi made short work of Austin Vanderford for an encore. But Salter, a seven-year Bellator vet, took quite a beating against Mousasi. Eblen should have no problems dealing with Salter’s wrestling as he looks to keep moving up the rankings.
Wilson vs Rabadanov – Fun Lightweight Scrap
A pair of prospects open the main card as Jay Jay Wilson meets Gadzhi Rabadanov. Both fighters are part of a long line of hot contenders from their areas of the world though bets online slightly lean on Rabadanov (16-4-2) at -155. He made quite the impression in his Bellator debut with a round one knockout.
But Wilson (8-0-0) has the experience edge here having won all five of his Bellator fights with all but one coming via a finish. He hits hard and can also finish fights on the ground. As an underdog, he will not be intimidated by Rabadanov.