Bellator 265: Kongo vs. Kharitonov takes place on Friday, August 20 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a look at the opening odds below.
Bellator 265 Odds
Sergei Kharitonov -240
Cheick Kongo +190
Adam Borics -115
Jay Jay Wilson -115
Logan Storley -400
Dante Schiro +300
Marcelo Golm -180
Kelvin Tiller +150
Jornel Lugo -200
Keith Lee +160
Taylor Johnson -200
Fabio Aguiar +160
Mike Hamel -185
Bryce Logan +155
Archie Colgan -400
Ben Simons +300
Duane Johnson -200
Devin Fisher +160
Bailey Schoenfelder -200
Kevin Childs +160
Jeff Nielsen -300
Kory Moegenburg +240
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Bellator 265:
- The main event of Bellator 265 is a heavyweight bout between Cheick Kongo and Sergei Kharitonov. Kongo is, incredibly, 46 years old, but he is still one of the top heavyweights in Bellator. In his last fight in his native Paris, Kongo lost a close split decision to Tim Johnson that snapped a nine-fight unbeaten streak. Although Kongo is one of the oldest fighters in Bellator, he is still capable of winning fights. Kharitonov, meanwhile, is no spring chicken himself at 40 years of age, and he’s coming off of back-to-back wins in smaller organizations. While Kharitonov certainly possesses knockout power, I’m surprised he opened up as such a big betting favorite here. Despite Kongo’s age, I still view this as a dog-or-pass situation.
- The co-main event of Bellator 265 is a fantastic featherweight fight between youngsters Adam Borics and Jay Jay Wilson, and the winner of this fight will get the next title shot against new champion AJ McKee. The 28-year-old Borics has won his last three fights and is 8-1 overall in the Bellator cage. As for Wilson, he’s only 24 and is already 5-0 in Bellator. I’m very high on both fighters but Borics has proven himself more to this point and I would lean his way.
