Bellator 288 hits the Windy City this Friday, November 18th, with two title fights on the line, headlined by a light heavyweight bout between the champ Vadim Nemkov taking on Corey Anderson. In the co-main event for the lightweight title, we have the champ Patricky Freire taking on Usman Nurmagomedov. Here are my favorite plays and predictions for this weekend at Bellator 288.
November 18th, 2022
Bellator 288: Nemkov vs. Anderson
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Main Card: Showtime 9:00 pm EST
Vadim Nemkov (+185) vs Corey Anderson (-225)
We have a rematch in the main event, and the first time these two fought I was in on Vadim Nemkov. It obviously ended in a No Contest, but Corey Anderson was definitely winning the fight up until that point. Anderson was taking Nemkov down and really applying the ground and pound, which ultimately led to the clash of heads. Anderson has the blueprint all laid out on how to defeat Nemkov. I think we are going to see a pretty similar fight where Anderson is able to take down Nemkov and really get to those ground-and-pound strikes. I believe that Anderson eventually gets the TKO on the ground or even on the feet. I like Anderson big in this fight, give me Corey Anderson to win via KO/TKO (+175).
Patricky Freire (+425) vs Usman Nurmagomedov (-450)
Very interesting title fight. You have a guy in Usman Nurmagomedov who hasn’t fought the who’s who in the division but yet here he is fighting for the belt as a huge betting favorite. Regardless of what people might think, Nurmagomedov deserves to be this big of a favorite. I think the way he’s been knocking people out or submitting them in the first round has been insane. I know they haven’t been ranked opponents, but Nurmagomedov is legit and can win anywhere. I think a sneaky play might be to take Nurmagomedov via submission in the third (+900) or fourth round (+1200). I believe Nurmagomedov will grind Patricky Freire the first couple of rounds and then seek out the submission later in the fight. Give me Usman Nurmagomedov via submission (+135) and sprinkle a little on via submission in rounds 3 and 4.
For all other MMA-related things like the crew’s picks, articles, and podcasts please check out the Sports Gambling Podcast Network website and click the MMA tab. Good luck this weekend and let us know if you’ll be riding or fading the crew’s plays for Bellator 288 on Twitter @SGPNMMA.
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