Best Bellator 287 Bets: Mansour Barnaoui vs. Adam Picolotti Picks

Dan Favale
By , Updated on: Apr 9, 2024 08:00 PM
Best Bellator 287 Bets: Mansour Barnaoui vs. Adam Picolotti Picks

Anyone waiting on pins and needles to find out the best Bellator 287 bets can now rest easy. We've come bearing our latest MMA predictions.

Getting out in front the Bellator 287 fight card is pretty imperative, because this event is going to be a humdinger. Four primetime matchups are scheduled for Saturday, October 29, in Milan, Italy. Chief among those head-to-heads will be the lightweight championship bout between Mansour Barnaoui and Adam Picolotti. But we're not just predicting the outcome of this match. No, no, no.

We want to bet on Bellator MMA matches across the board, so we'll also be tackling Fabian Edwards vs. Charlie Ward, Saul Rogers vs. Tim Wilde and Justin Gonzales vs. Andrew Fisher. Before we go any further, though, here are the latest Bellator 287 betting odds, which we've grabbed from our friends over at BetUS:

FavoriteBetUSBetUSUnderdog
Mansour Barnaoui-110+101Adam Picolotti
Fabian Edwards-215+170Charlie Ward
Saul Rogers-115+105Tim Wilde
Justin Gonzales-480+540Andrew Fisher

Remember to double-check these MMA betting odds right up until you actually submit your wager. Our best Bellator 287 bets are being made on Friday, October 14—which is more than two weeks before the fight card actually gets underway. These MMA betting lines will move between now and the opening bell on October 29.

New to betting on Bellator? Or maybe you're just used to betting on UFC? Or perhaps you're just open to finding a new home for all of your 2022 MMA betting? Regardless, we've got your back. Our reviews of the top online sportsbooks can help you find the best Bellator betting sites for 2022. We also recommend checking out our list of the best MMA betting apps in 2022, as these sportsbooks typically run monster specials ahead of both major UFC and Bellator events.

Mansour Barnaoui Over Adam Picolotti Should be Added to Your Best Bellator 287 Bets

Adam Picolotti is a worthwhile challenger for Mansour Barnaoui's lightweight championship belt. But he's nowhere near worth including in your best Bellator 287 bets. 

This isn't necessarily an insult to Picolotti. He can be a tad slow to maneuver his body and is prone to spending too much time retreating after withstanding strikes. Overall, though, he's a rock-solid and versatile fighter who's exceptionally adept at turning matches into a grind-it-out slog.

Instead, this is all about Barnaoui, who is flat-out dominant.

The power Barnaoui is able to generate with both his strong and off hand bends the brain. And in recent years, he has polished his wrestling techniques, working in some truly terrifying grips and angles that have drummed up his submission count.

To that end, consider the following: Out of 19 career victories for Barnaoui, 18 of them have come by knockout or submission. For those who don't have a calculator, that's roughly 95 percent of his wins.

So, yeah, you better believe we're adding Barnaoui to our best Bellator 287 bets—and picking him to retain his lightweight belt.

OSB Prediction: Mansour Barnaoui (-110)

Mansour Barnaoui To beat Adam Picolotti
-110
BetUS

Fabian Edwards will Put Charlie Ward on Knockout Alert

At 6'1" and 185 pounds, the 29-year-old Fabian Edwards can absolutely do damage with his combinations. But as precise and powerful as he is, his quest for another TKO or KO victory is made easier by his opponent, Charlie Ward.

Though Ward has an admirable 10-4 record in Bellator, three of his four letdowns have come by knockout. He isn't what'd you call mistake-prone, but the gaffes he does make are costly. Most notably, he will sacrifice footing on his left hand.

It just so happens Edwards is an expert at capitalizing on those exact miscues. This could be a match that ends before we even realize it started.

OSB Prediction: Fabian Edwards (-215)

Fabian Edwards To beat Charlie Ward
-215
BetUS

Youth Prevails in Saul Rogers vs. Tim Wilde

How much longer can Tim Wilde continue fighting at this pace? That's the question many Bellator fans and experts find themselves asking every time his name appears on another fight card.

While Wilde has cobbled together a stellar resume, he is 35 years old. And his body is starting to show the wear and tear of someone who can't reboot himself as quickly after taking shots on the chin or the stomach.

Meanwhile, in the other corner, we have Saul Rogers. He is just 32, with 10 combined knockouts and submissions under his belt. That resume combined with his superior upper-body strength made this an easy decision for us. He has made our best Bellator 287 bets list, and we're actually surprised he's not a heavier favorite.

OSB Prediction: Saul Rogers (-115)

Saul Rogers To beat Tim Wilde
-115
BetUS

Justin Gonzales is Among the Absolute Best Bellator 287 Bets vs. Andrew Fisher

If we're being honest, not one of our previous best Bellator 287 bets includes what we consider a sure thing.

That changes now.

Justin Gonzales has just one loss under his Bellator resume to go along with 13 victories. And to this point, the 31-year-old has never lost by TKO or submission. He hasn't even fought to a tie. He just wins and wins.

And he doesn't do it with untold power, either. He is essentially a human backboard: Anything you throw at him comes immediately back at you. Given how Andrew Fisher has so often struggled to close out matches of his that go to a decision, we're giving the nod to Gonzales and not thinking twice about it.

OSB Prediction: Justin Gonzales (-480)

Justin Gonzales To beat Andrew Fisher
-480
BetUS

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your mixed martial arts betting:

Meet the author

Dan Favale

Dan Favale leverages over 12 years of sports journalism expertise in his role as New York staff writer. He provides in-depth analysis across the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, tennis, NASCAR, college basketball, and sports betting. Dan co-hosts the popular Hardwood Knocks NBA podc...

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