Bellator 275 Odds: Gegard Mousasi vs. Austin Vanderford Prediction

Bellator 275’s main card is highlighted by a middleweight bout between current division champion Gegard Mousasi and undefeated Austin Vanderford.  Mousasi is defending his belt for the second time, while the up-and-coming Vanderford is in a title fight for the first time in his career.

Mousasi is a -230 favourite to win on the MMA odds.  Vanderford is a +170 underdog.

Gegard Mousasi Bellator 275 Odds

The 36-year-old Mousasi is an MMA journeyman with a 48-7-2 career record.  He has 27 wins by knockout, 12 by submission and nine by decision.  Mousasi fought through several different promotions before jumping to the UFC as a light heavyweight in 2013.  He won his UFC debut before dropping back down to middleweight and ultimately left the promotion with a 9-3 record.  The Iranian-born Dutch fighter racked up notable wins over opponents like Chris Weidman, Uriah Hall and Thiago Santos.

Mousasi has been nearly perfect since joining Bellator in 2017, winning six of seven fights in the division.  He’s won his last three fights over Lyoto Machida (split decision), Douglas Lima (unanimous decision) and John Salter (TKO).  The Lima fight earned Mousasi the vacant middleweight belt, while the Salter fight was Mousasi’s first successful title defence.

Mousasi is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division and he fights at a high pace.  He likes to push forward and you’ll rarely see him drop back.  Vanderford will try to make this a grappling fight, which Mousasi is more than capable of defending.  The only losses of Mousasi’s career have come at the hands of better fighters than Vanderford and his veteran savviness gives him a big advantage.

Austin Vanderford Bellator 275 Odds

Vanderford, who is married to former UFC star Paige VanZant, is getting a title shot for the first time in his career.  The 31-year-old has compiled a perfect 11-0 record since making his professional debut in 2017.  The UFC passed on Vanderford despite earning a second-round submission win over Angelo Trevino in Dana White’s Contender Series.

Vanderford is 5-0 since joining Bellator in 2019, with his last three wins coming by unanimous decision.  In total, Vanderford has three wins by knockout, three wins by submission and five wins by decision.  This will easily be the toughest test of Vanderford’s career.  This is a big step up for the American and he’ll likely try to make this a grappling fight.  What this fight comes down to is how Vanderford handles Mousasi’s pace.  If Vanderford can get a few key takedowns and land his shots, he’ll have a chance to win, but it won’t be easy against a veteran like Mousasi.

Bellator 275 Prediction: Mousasi vs. Vanderford

Mousasi’s veteran experience will be too much and Vanderford will suffer the first setback of his career.  Mousasi wins by fourth round submission.