Bellator 244 Odds, Picks & Predictions – Bader vs Nemkov

• Ryan Bader drops back down to 205-pounds to defend his light heavyweight title in the main event at Bellator 244
• Can Julia Budd get back into the win column and earn a rematch with Cris Cyborg?
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full Bellator 244 main card below

Bellator returns this Friday, August 21st, in Uncasville, Connecticut for Bellator 244, with a light heavyweight title fight atop a very solid card.

In the main event, Ryan Bader is dropping down in weight class as he looks to defend his light heavyweight title against the highly-touted contender Vadim Nemkov. The co-main event sees former featherweight champion Julia Budd fight for the first time since losing her belt as she takes on Jessy Miele.

The Bellator 244 main card airs live at 10 p.m. EST on Paramount Network and DAZN. The table below shows odds for the main card at FanDuel, followed by best bets for the event.

Bellator 244 Main Card Odds

Odds as of August 19th

How Will Bader Look Back at Light Heavyweight?

Ryan Bader is currently Bellator’s light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, but he has not fought at 205 pounds since Bellator 186 in November of 2017.

Since then, he had a four-fight stint as he fought and won the heavyweight grand prix. He then looked to defend the heavyweight strap against Cheick Kongo, but the fight ended in a no-contest due to accidental eye pokes.

Bader & Nemkov Recent Fights

There is no question Vadim Nemkov is the top contender at light heavyweight. He is undefeated in Bellator and riding a six-fight winning streak. He is also dangerous everywhere as he has shown he has knockout power and can also pull off submission wins.

In this one, Ryan Bader will have his hands full as Nemkov can defend the takedowns and on the feet. Nemkov is Fedor Emelianenko’s protegee and has learned his striking from one of the all-time greats. Yet, all his fights in Bellator have been three rounds – so a big question is will he be able to go the full 25 minutes?

I believe Nemkov will start out strong, stuffing the takedowns and landing solid shots on Bader. As the fight wears on the champion will start to take over, using chain-wrestling to get the Russian down.

Once he does that, he should be able to earn a ground and pound stoppage win in the fourth or fifth-round to defend his light heavyweight title.

At -152, I still think there is value on the champ as I believe he should be in the -180 range. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he closes near -200 given he has the name value.

Pick: Ryan Bader (-152)

Bader vs Nemkov Stats

Does Winner Earn a Title Shot?

For the first time since Bellator 174 in 2017, Julia Budd will not be fighting for or defending the Bellator featherweight championship. The winner of Budd vs. Jessy Miele could very well earn the next shot at Cris Cyborg.

Budd & Miele Recent Fights

In this one, I expect Budd to come out strong and prove she is still one of the best in the world following her first loss since 2011, which came to Ronda Rousey.

The Canadian has only lost to the best, in Amanda Nunes, Rousey, and Cyborg. I don’t believe Miele is on that level and I expect Budd to land some heavy shots and score a TKO win in the first or second round.

Pick: Julia Budd (-650)

Other Bellator 244 Picks:

• • Valentin Moldavsky (-1000): Moldavsky will use his grappling to take Nelson down at will and hold him there for a clear-cut decision win. But, at -1000, there is no way you can bet it.
  • John Salter (-205): Salter should be able to use his wrestling to get this to the ground and earn a submission win.