Fight Nights Global 85 takes place Friday, March 30 at Ice Sports Palace in Moscow, Russia. Here are the opening odds courtesy of the Euro sportsbooks:
Fight Nights Global 85 Opening Odds
Abdulsupyan Alikhanov -260
Roman Kopylov +180
Aliaskhab Khizriev -400
Rousimar Palhares +280
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M-1 Challenge 90 takes place Friday, March 30 at M-1 Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia. Here are the opening odds courtesy of the Euro sportsbooks:
M-1 Challenge 90 Opening Odds
Alexey Kunchenko -540
Alexander Butenko +360
My reactions to the Fight Nights Global 85 and M-1 Challenge 90 opening odds: – Alikhanov vs. Kopylov should be a good fight for the middleweight title. Alikhanov is 9-2 in MMA, with all nine of his wins coming in Fight Nights. He’s won his last three fights by knockout. Kopylov is a perfect 6-0 in MMA including five knockout wins, and he’s 2-0 in Fight Nights overall. This looks to be a great fight but I think I have to side with the favorite here in Alikhanov. I’ve just been very impressed with what I’ve seen of this guy and his KO power is nasty. That being said, I’m not sure I’d be willing to lay the chalk on what is something of an unknown fight.
– Khizriev vs. Palhares will likely be one of the more popular bets of this slate of fights due to Palhares’ name. And also the fact that bettors will likely want to continue to fade him. Khizriev is a perfect 11-0 in MMA including a three-fight win streak in Fight Nights. He has some finishing power but overall is not tested. Palhares is 19-8-1 in MMA and is coming off of a draw in Fight Nights. Since leaving WSOF, Palhares is 1-2-1 with two knockout losses. We know his subs are dangerous but his chin is terrible. Also, this is a five-round fight and we know Palhares has really bad cardio past the first round. So I can see why Khizriev is favored to win this fight. I wouldn’t discount Palhares winning, though, since Khizriev hasn’t really been tested. I can’t outright pick him but would caution to look at this one closely before fading Palhares.
– Kunchenko vs. Butenko will be a five-round bout for the M-1 Challenge welterweight title. Kunchenko is a perfect 17-0 in his MMA career including a 9-0 record in M-1 Challenge. The majority of his wins have come via knockout. Though he is 33, he is a late bloomer to the sport and is looking like a natural at MMA. Butenko is a veteran with a ridiculous 45-12-3 record. He is coming off of two-straight wins in the M-1 arena and overall has been very successful in recent years. But it’s hard to ignore Kunchenko’s knockout power and the fact Butenko has had so much wear-and-tear. I favor Kunchenko to win this fight and the high opening line looks right.
