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Bet on Bellator MMA Fights 2024

Bellator got its name from the Latin word for ‘warrior’ which perfectly suits this MMA promotion. Bellator fights are often extremely passionate, which is one of the main selling points of this competition. For many mixed martial arts fans, Bellator is a rawer version of the UFC.

Although it’s still trailing behind the UFC in terms of popularity, Bellator is one of the biggest competitions in the MMA universe. In its early days, it was thought of as a stepping stone for fighters on their road to the UFC. However, 14 years after the organization was born, a number of elite athletes are competing in it.

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Famous Bellator MMA Fighters

There are many MMA superstars who have competed in Bellator at one point in their careers. Although the list is too long to mention, there are a couple of real legends of the sport that we need to talk about.

Fedor Emelianenko 

Considered to be one of the greats in the entire history of MMA, Emelianenko has never competed in the UFC. However, since coming out of retirement in 2015, he did have a couple of Bellator MMA fights.

As of 2022, Emelianenko’s Bellator record is 4-2, with his most recent fight happening in October 2021. That’s when we saw him beat Tim Johnson via a brutal knockout in Round 1, just 106 seconds after the start of the fight.

Cris Cyborg

One of the greatest female MMA fighters of all times is currently competing in Bellator MMA. The fighter in question is Cris Cyborg, who’s been the Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion since 2020.

Before moving to Bellator, she used to dominate women’s MMA in the UFC, where she was the featherweight champ for nearly a year and a half.

Michael Chandler 

Chandler used to be the poster boy of Bellator, winning the Bellator Lightweight World Champion title on three occasions. In addition, he also won the Bellator Season Four: Lightweight Tournament in 2011.

After going 18-5 in Bellator MMA, Chandler moved to the UFC, getting a shot at the Lightweight Championship in his promotional debut. This fact itself shows how much respect UFC bosses have for Bellator.

UFC vs Bellator: Main Differences

One of the main differences between the two MMA promotions is the way matchups are decided. UFC uses a match-making style in which potential fights are negotiated between the fighters, their managers, and the people from the organization.

That’s not the case with Bellator, which uses a tournament-based format. In this competition, a fighter needs to take part in three fights over the season in order to get a title shot.

Where title shots are earned, not given – The slogan of Bellator MMA tells everything about this competition’s title bids.

A season in Bellator lasts for three months, where fighters compete for titles in eight different weight classes. In the UFC, events happen throughout the year, sometimes featuring title-deciding bouts, sometimes not.

Another big difference between the two MMA organizations is the way they make money. The business model of the UFC focuses on pay-per-view (PPV) service, while Bellator MMA utilizes a TV show business model. What this means is that Bellator MMA is making a big percentage of its revenue from old-fashioned TV advertising.

Betting on Bellator MMA

It’s true that UFC is more commonly found in online sportsbooks, there are many places where you can bet on the events from Bellator.

In fact, most sportsbooks that have MMA events on offer usually feature Bellator fights in addition to those organized under the helm of UFC.

Practically the same betting markets offered for UFC events are usually available for Bellator MMA fights as well. Some of the most popular types of bets in Bellator include the following:

  • Winner – It’s the most popular type of Bellator bet and the reason why that is the case is that it’s pretty straightforward. How it works is that you put your money on the fighter you think is going to win the match. It doesn’t matter how they win the fight, the only thing that’s important is that they win it.
  • Method of Victory – A fighter can finish the match with a KO (knockout), submission, or through the decision.
  • Rounds – Fights taking place during the season consist of three five-minute rounds; title bouts, however, consist of five five-minute rounds. You have the option to bet on how many rounds are there going to be in a fight.

Depending on the sportsbook, you might be able to place not only pre-fight bets but also live bets. Betting live can be super-exciting, as well as very lucrative. Watching live coverage of a fight can give you a good idea of what’s going to happen at the end. You can take advantage of it by placing a live bet.

Bellator Betting Tips

Even those who don’t consider themselves huge MMA fans can find Bellator betting very entertaining. The thing with this promotion is that it’s often very uncertain. Anyone can beat anyone in Bellator and there are no clear favorites/underdogs. And this means that the betting odds on Bellator fights are usually very good from the bettors’ point of view.

All this also means that predicting the outcome of a fight is not that easy. It’s not easy, but it’s also not impossible, especially if you do your homework. Doing some research before placing bets is crucial. The stuff you got to pay attention to include the form of the fighters, their record in the same weight division, their previous duels, and so on.

It’s also important to read recent Bellator news, especially those related to the fighters’ forms and their injury statuses. Injury reports can help you with making the right decision, helping you decide whether to bet or stay away from the fight in question.

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