Heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko (36-5, 11 KOs, 16 SUBs) will meet former UFC champion Frank Mir (18-11, 5 KOs, 9 SUBs) at Bellator 198 on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The card airs live on Paramount Network following the streaming prelims. Bet on the latest MMA odds and get previews, prediction and betting picks at BookMaker.eu now.
Fedor Emelianenko is still a name that piques the interest of longtime MMA fans. Regarded to many as the heavyweight GOAT, the Russian took a lot of flak for never competing in the UFC. Luckily, Bellator’s insistence on putting on legends fights gives us a chance to see Fedor compete against fighters that established, long productive UFC careers. Enter Frank Mir.
The former Pride champ will meet the former UFC champ this Saturday at Bellator 198 in Rosemont, IL. This is part of the quarter-finals round of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix tourney, which includes fighters like Matt Mitrione, Chael Sonnen, Ryan Bader and King Mo.
This is one of those fights that would have been amazing about 12 years ago, when they were squarely in their primes. These days, Mir is looking really round, and Emelianenko is barely scraping by against lesser competition. In fact, it’s unlikely they could crack the UFC’s top 15 today.
But they’re both future Hall of Famers and guys that a lot of casuals will recognize. For those reasons, there’s a lot of interest in betting this scrap. Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your best betting options.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Fedor Emelianenko +136
Frank Mir -174
Over/under 1.5 rounds +125/-145
Striking Stats
Significant strikes landed per minute: Emelianenko 3.18 / Mir 2.18
Accuracy: Emelianenko 51% / Mir 47%
Significant strikes absorbed per minute: Emelianenko 1.00 / Mir 3.84
Defense: Emelianenko 63% / Mir 38%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Emelianenko 2.00 / Mir 2.02
Takedown accuracy: Emelianenko 63% / Mir 40%
Takedowns defended: Emelianenko 82% / Mir 54%
Submission average: Emelianenko 1.9 / Mir 2.0
Fight Breakdown
I’m shocked to see Mir’s line go down from -175 to -140. Truthfully, Emelianenko has looked awful despite a 5-1 run since November 2011. Sure, he’s racked up a hanfdul of first-round finishes, but they came against ancient fighters and a rookie pro in Jaideep Singh. And when he got matched up with Fabio Maldonado, a UFC castoff from a lower weight class, Fedor was gifted with a win from Russian judges.
That’s not to say Mir winning is a guarantee, as he hasn’t fought since 2016. In a few media faceoffs, Frank looked like he’d been enjoying his psuedo-retirement to much. As in, he put on major poundage, and not of the muscular variety. Of course, we can assume that a training camp will get him back in shape, but he’s also 38 years old.
UFC Odds Pick: Mir to win at -174
This honestly feels like a toss-up. Mir is a giant question mark coming off a two-year hiatus - most guys don’t fare so well after a long layoff. But true heavyweights have historically given the smaller Emelianenko problems, and we know that Mir has put in a lot of work on his hands. Fedor’s chin and cardio is fading badly, as is his one-punch KO power.
UFC Odds Pick: Under 1.5 rounds at -145
Both these guys are just too shaky to believe that they can go the distance. There’s always a chance that they get so exhausted that they can’t hurt each other, but in that likely scenario we think somebody will find a way to finish it. The price is playable as a straight bet.
Bet on MMA odds at BookMaker.eu
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today. Bellator 198 on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The card airs live on Paramount Network following the streaming prelims.
