Hawaii takes part of the top stage, MMA fans, as Bellator 279 is just days away. With the event on April 23rd, sports bettors cannot wait to see the rematch between Cris Cyborg (top choice) and Arlene Biencowe. Also on the main card is Patchy Mix as he steps up against Kyori Horiguchi. In this article, we have our best bets for Bellator 279, which should be quite the fight night. The action takes place from the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Also, do not forget that there is that Juan Archuleta-Raufeon Stots clash. This shapes up to be quite the little card right after Friday’s Bellator 278. Let’s dive into a little more on the Cyborg
The main event headlines Cris Cyborg going toe to toe with Arlene Blencowe again this Saturday night. The Brazilian-American MMA artist is the Bellator Featherweight Champion. She comes in with a 25-2 record, 20 knockouts, and one submission. Cyborg tops all Bellator fighters in their women’s pound-for-pound rankings. Her last fight saw Cyborg win again taking out Sinead Kavanagh in a mere 92 seconds. Cyborg used a volume of punches to dispatch the Irish woman.
Now as for Arlene Blencowe, the Australian is getting a third crack at the belt. Her record is 15-8-0 with eight knockouts and one submission. On paper, these two are both showing that age is just a number. Both fighters did fight on the Bellator 271 card. Blencowe is ranked as the top ladies Featherweight which made her the logical choice to go up against Cris Cyborg again. Now, here are the odds from the top online betting site like Bovada below:
| Bellator 279 Odds -- Main Matches |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Cris Cyborg | -900 | -1200 |
| Arlene Blencowe | +550 | +650 |
| Juan Archuleta | +170 | +160 |
| Raufeon Stots | -210 | -210 |
| Kyoji Horiguchi | -285 | -285 |
| Patchy Mix | +225 | +210 |
Also, she enters this meeting with a chance to get her hands on that elusive Featherweight belt. Blencowe has had two previous opportunities to win the belt. The first time was a split decision many felt she had won. Now, the last time out did not end so well against Cris Cyborg.
Now, the Australian comes in as an immense long shot for the Vegas Online Betting odds, while Cyborg strolls in as a -800 to -1429 favorite. The money could move a little more to Blencowe but that does not seem too likely. After all, Cyborg won the first bout with relative ease. Could history repeat itself at Bellator 279 on Saturday night?
There is no doubt that Cris Cyborg wants to end Arlene Blencowe’s career. For her part, the Brazilian-American is not getting any younger at 36. She knows that there is precious little time as Cyborg wants to cement her legacy as one of the, if not THE all-time greatest female MMA fighter ever. It is nothing personal against Arlene Blencowe. Cyborg simply wants to go through anyone that stands in her way of glory and defending a fourth major belt.
Cyborg is one incredible featherweight who can go on the offensive or counter quickly. Her overall knockout ability is well documented. Yet the irony is that the one submission Cyborg has in her career was against Blencowe. That rear-naked choke is a move she had used often but never won in a match with it. Finally Cyborg is undefeated in four Bellator bouts heading into Bellator 279 (three knockouts, one submission).
Consequently, Cyborg wants to hammer the 39-year-old Blencowe and get her into the middle rounds where Cyborg believes she can punish then make Blencowe give up again. Now our Bellator 279 top choice, the Brazilian-American, is ready for a tougher return bout. There is going to be chance to take Cyborg via knockout in the middle rounds here as a prop.
So, Cyborg is our pick to win over Arlene Blencowe Saturday night.
In maybe the most unexpected matchup on Saturday night, Raufeon Stots will stop Juan Archuleta in a fight that features two of the top Bantamweights in Bellator (Archuleta and Stots are both top-three contenders). Stots and Archuleta are fighting for the Interim Bantamweight Bellator Championship. Stots slugged his way into the Grand Prix Tournament.
Surprisingly, some are perplexed that Stots is not a bigger favorite. That is not his fault but the 33-year old Stots has more weapons and can grapple better than anyone in the Bantamweight division. What Stots has developed is his ability to grind out wins and punch more effectively too. He has three knockouts and four submissions among his 17 victories.
This makes Bellator 279 more fun for bettors and fans alike. Everyone knows what is coming from Archuleta and yet he was able to split his last four decisions where three went a full five rounds. He has not fought since losing his Bantamweight crown to Sergio Pettis last May. Pettis easily outpointed Archuleta including one judge who gave all five rounds to Pettis.
Picking with the pundits, this tilt leans on Stots at -210. Archuleta is not gaining value as a +160 underdog. Again, the feeling is Archuleta can get in some punches but Stots could get Archuleta on the ground and eventually gain a submission. Alas, we are siding with Stots as another Bellator 279 top choice. Also, look at some slick NBA Playoff Vegas odds and bets as well.
Finally we take on an easy decision as Kyoji Horiguchi fights Patchy Mix. The Japanese fighter has split his last four fights but had dominated Sergio Pettis before getting nailed by a few shots as Horiguchi went down in Round 4. It was a lesson learned.
Horiguchi will want to finish things quickly on Saturday night. This could end quickly so look at those around props. Take Horiguchi over Mix even with these numbers.
