Bellator 283 is packed with the biggest names in the organization, including Douglas Lima vs Jason Jackson, who clash in the main event.
The rest of the main card is also packed with excellent fights, and MMA odds are available for the three fights that round out of the main card on Friday.
Let’s check the latest, stats, UFC fight card, injury reports, and UFC Fight Night for Bellator 283. We’ve plenty of UFC predictions for you to consider.
Usman Nurmagomedov vs Chris Gonzalez
The biggest betting online favorite at Bellator 283 is Usman Nurmagomedov, who is priced at -900 to beat Chris Gonzalez.
The 24-year-old is 14-0 and likely good enough to fight in the UFC, but he will try to tear through the Bellator ranks first.
He is a well-rounded fighter who is 3-0 since arriving in Bellator, including wins by decision, TKO, and submission. There isn’t much Nurmagomedov can’t do, which should make it tough for Gonzalez to figure out.
“My opponent is a very good fighter, good athlete, a very good challenge for me, and yeah, I was asking for some fight like that,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “After my last fight, I was asking Bellator and I was asking my management to get me a tough opponent for my next fight.”
It was hard not to be impressed with his rear-naked choke submission of Patrik Pietila, so that sticks in our mind and it’s also tough to bet against a -900 favorite.
Gonzalez is 7-1 following a knockout win over Saad Awad. He was knocked out in his previous fight, so it was a good bounce-back from the American. However, he’s the +550 underdog with the sportsbook for a reason and we can’t include him in our Bellator 283 selections.
Pick: Usman Nurmagomedov by KO -200
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Sidney Outlaw vs Tofiq Musayev
Tofiq Musayev is the current -145 favorite to win at Bellator 283 and he’s looking to bounce back from a loss.
Musayev is making his Bellator debut following a loss to Roberto de Souza in the Rizen FF organization. It’s not exceptional form but prior to the loss, he had won four of his last six fights by knockout.
He’s an explosive fighter at his best and that’s the danger presented to Sidney Outlaw, who has good form lines.
Outlaw lost to Michael Chandler in 2019, who has since made waves in the UFC, and he followed up the loss with back-to-back wins over tough fighters.
He scored a narrow split-decision victory against Adam Piccolotti before submitting Myles Jury, who has been in the game for a long time. It was a quality victory and it holds him in good stead against Musayev, providing he can avoid the early flurry.
Bettors are likely to be divided by this fight but Musayev looks to have a bright future and the favorite should get the job done.
Pick: Tofiq Musayev -145
Lorenz Larkin vs Mukhamed Berkhamov
There is always intrigue with unbeaten fighters and Mukhamed Berkhamov made an impression in his Bellator debut last year.
The Russian is 14-0, including a quality submission victory over Jaleel Willis at Bellator 268. The first-round victory holds the -150 favorite in good stead and he’s paying better odds than we expected.
We thought bookmakers would have Berkhamov around -200 with MMA betting markets, despite Larkin being a tough opponent.
Larkin is riding a six-fight winning streak following back-to-back losses to start his time at Bellator. The former UFC fighter, who defeated Jorge Masvidal and Neil Magny, is back to his best.
However, we’re going with another favorite in Berkhamov. He looks to have a bright future in the division and he could remain unbeaten.
Pick: Mukhamed Berkhamov -150
