Bellator 248: MVP vs Houston Betting Preview, Odds and Predictions

On Saturday, October 10^th, Bellator will be live from the Accor Arena in Paris, France, for a 12 fight event that will be divided into two separate shows: Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10.

This betting preview is for the first portion of the event – Bellator 248: MVP vs Houston. The featured fight of this card is a catchweight bout between the popular Michael “MVP” Page taking on the undefeated Ross Houston.

Bellator 248 is scheduled to have four fights with a start time of 11:30am ET on CBS Sports Network.

Let’s step inside the betting octagon to examine the latest odds courtesy of the best Bellator betting sites, identify any value, and KO our predictions. As of this writing, only moneylines are available to wager on.

Darko Banovic vs Mads Burnell

• Darko Banovic (+500)
• Mads Burnell (-700)

This fight has the largest betting disparity for the entire 12 bout Bellator Paris lineup as Mads Burnelll is the largest betting favorite while Darko Banovic is the largest betting underdog. Furthermore, both fighters will be making their debuts for Bellator this weekend.

Banovic is 3-1 in his last four fights and on a two fight winning streak entering this contest. He last fought 11 months ago and won via 1^st round TKO in 91 seconds. Both of his wins in the last two fights have come via first round knockouts.

13 of his 15 pro wins have come via stoppage with seven via TKO/KO. He’s 2-4 when going the distance.

Mads Burnell is a former UFC fighter who went 1-2 with the promotion. After leaving the UFC in 2018, Burnell moved on to Cage Warriors where he’s won four straight fights. His last contest was also 11 months ago and he won via unanimous decision.

Eight of his 13 pro wins have come via submission. He’s 5-0 when going the distance.

Banovic hasn’t fought the same level of competition that Burnell has. Furthemore, Burnell is the bigger of the two fighters.

Burnell will navigate any striking exchanges, take advantage of any openings, and get Banovic down to the mat where he will lock in a submission hold for the victory.

Alan Omer vs Ryan Scope

• Alan Omer (-275)
• Ryan Scope (+235)

This fight will be contested at a catchweight of 160 pounds, instead of their usual 155 pound lightweight limit.

Former UFC fighter Alan Omer is making his Bellator debut this weekend. Omer was in the UFC five years ago, but lost both fights. He moved on to other regional promotions in Europe where he enters this contest on a five fight win streak.

Omer last fought in January and won via 1^st round submission. Five of his wins have come in the 1^st round. 20 of Omer’s 23 pro wins have come via stoppage with 12 by way of submission. He’s just 3-3 when going the distance.

This will be Ryan Scope’s third fight for Bellator where he’s gone 0-2 so far. Yet, his split decision loss against Patricky Freire last year earned him some recognition. Unfortunately, he followed that up with a TKO loss to Peter Queally 13 months ago, which was his last fight. He’s 1-3 in his last four bouts.

Eight of his 10 pro wins have come via stoppage with four victories apiece for submission and TKO/KO. He’s 2-1 when going to a decision.

Scope’s on his last legs with Bellator. A third straight loss will end up getting him booted from the promotion. I believe his desperation will be a huge factor in this fight. If he can force Omer to make mistakes or rock him with a big shot, Scope could possibly find a stoppage win.

I’m going to bet on the upset for this fight at my favorite Bellator betting site. I think Scope will finally get his first Bellator victory in a surprisingly good matchup.

Emmanuel Dawa vs Oliver Enkamp

• Emmanuel Dawa (+170)
• Oliver Enkamp (-200)

Emmanuel Dawa is a striker who isn’t afraid to get involved in firefights inside the cage. Not only has he knocked out six opponents, but he has also been knocked out twice.

Dawa last fought in June 2019, and won via 1^st round KO. Five of his nine pro wins have come via 1^st round stoppage. He’s 2-0 when going the distance.

Enkamp is another former UFC fighter who also lost both of his bouts inside the octagon. He left the UFC and joined Bellator last year where he’s now gone 2-0. Both of those wins have come via stoppage in the 1^st round. He last fought in February and won via 1^st round KO over Lewis Long.

Seven of his nine pro wins have come via stoppage with five by way of submission. He’s 2-1 when going the distance.

“THIS FIGHT WILL PROBABLY END PRETTY EARLY!”

Rising welterweight @OliverEnkamp (9-2) 🇸🇪 previews his #BellatorParis clash against France’s Emmanuel Dawa

FULL SCRUM ➡️ https://t.co/VmZJRE4I1j

🎙️ @benallenfight#MMA #MMATwitter pic.twitter.com/IKW5Oht1qg

— Fight HQ (@FightHQTV) October 8, 2020

Enkamp is the featured fighter in this bout. The matchmakers of Bellator really set him up nicely for this event as Dawa’s grappling skills are subpar at best. Enkamp will outlast any strikes to take this fight to the mat and easily win via submission.

Michael Page vs Ross Houston

• Michael Page (-240)
• Ross Houston (+205)

The main event of Bellator 248 is being contested at a catchweight of 175 pounds.

Cage Warrior alum Ross Houston makes his Bellator debut this weekend as he landed a main event fight against one of the promotion’s biggest stars.

Houston last fought in June 2019 where the fight was stopped in the 3^rd round due to there being so much blood on the mat. Houston and his opponent Nicolas Dalby were both cut and poured out blood all over the place.

Prior to that fight, Houston won eight straight bouts. However, five of his eight wins have come via decision. That’s not going to work against MVP. Houston isn’t going to be able to rely on his gas tank to wear down MVP and get the decision win especially since MVP will outstrike him.

Houston will have to try to take down MVP and grind on the mat in order to nullify Page’s striking arsenal. But, that’s easier said than done.

Tune in to catch @MichaelPage247 vs. Ross Houston THIS Saturday during the #Bellator248 main card LIVE on @CBSSportsNet.#MMA #BellatorParis pic.twitter.com/5e4tpkfIfa

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 6, 2020

MVP has won three straight fights since suffering the first loss of his career in May 2019 via KO to Douglas Lima. 14 of his 17 pro wins have come via stoppage with 11 by way of TKO/KO. He’s 3-0 when going the distance.

I don’t see this fight going the distance. I expect Page’s range and footwork to put him in a favorable position for a TKO/KO win. I expect MVP to find success with the jab and kicks before finding an opening and finishing this fight with his unique style of striking.

Houston’s perfect record will come to an end on Saturday and then maybe MVP will fight a better opponent in his next bout. The odds are probably against that happening.