Friday’s Bellator 301 card is loaded with consequential fights. Sitting atop the card, which takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, are a pair of clashes for Bellator gold.
The main event features welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov (27-0) defending his title against top contender Jason Jackson (16-4). Amosov won the belt in June 2021 with a decision win over Douglas Lima but was out of action until February of this year due to the ongoing Russian invasion of his native Ukraine. Upon his return, Amosov dominated interim champion Logan Storley, taking a unanimous decision with all three judges seeing the fight 50-45 in his favor.
After dropping a split decision to Ed Ruth in July 2018, Jackson has rattled off six consecutive victories to secure a shot at the title. Jackson has collected wins over some big names on his march to the title, including Benson henderson, Neiman Gracie, Paul Daley and Douglas Lima. He has, however, not fought since July 2022.
In 16 combined fights in the Bellator cage, Amosov and Jackson have gone to the scorecards 13 times, so gamblers looking for a play may want to keep an eye on where the line for the fight going the distance lands.
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The co-main event may be the bigger of the two championship bouts on the card as bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis takes on interim champion and winner of the Bantamweight World Grand Prix, Patchy Mix.
Pettis won the world title with a decision win over Juan Archuleta in May 2021 before facing former champion Kyoji Horiguchi that December. Horiguchi was the favorite and was clearly winning the fight when Pettis scored a knockout with a spinning backfist late in the fourth round. The wins kept escalating in impressiveness for Pettis as he again was an underdog in a title defense, this time defending against Bellator great and current featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, who was hunting for a Bellator title in a third weight class. Pettis dominated the fight and took a wide unanimous decision.
A clash between Mix and Pettis may have happened earlier had an injury not forced Pettis to withdraw from the Grand Prix before it began. Instead, Mix took a decision over Horiguchi in the quarterfinals, submitted Magomed Magomedov with a triangle choke in the semifinals and scored a shocking first-round knockout of Raufeon Stots in the finals to win the interim belt and the $1 million grand prize.
Yet again, Pettis heads into a title defense as the underdog, sitting at +165 as oddsmakers favor Mix’s momentum and quickly evolving game.
This is Mix’s second shot at a Bellator world title, having fallen short against Juan Archuleta in September 2020 when he fatigued badly after a strong first round.
Other fights on the Bellator 301 main card include a rematch between bitter bantamweight rivals Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello, the continuation of AJ McKee’s lightweight run when he faces veteran Sidney Outlaw, and a fight in the lightweight World Grand Prix when former champion Patricky Pitbull battles heavy favorite Alexandr Shabliy.
Bellator 301 fight card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
| Yaroslav Amosov (c) -450 | Jason Jackson +340 | Welterweight title |
| Patchy Mix (ic) -200 | Sergio Pettis (c) +165 | Bantamweight title |
| Danny Sabatello -130 | Raufeon Stots +110 | Bantamweight |
| AJ McKee -300 | Sydney Outlaw +240 | Lightweight |
| Alexandr Shabliy -500 | Patricky Pitbull +360 | Lightweight Grand Prix |
Predictions
Yaroslav Amosov vs. Jason Jackson: Jackson is on an undeniably impressive run and has added wins over some big names to his resume in recent years. Still, Amosov is one of the most elite fighters on the current Bellator roster, with an impressive ability to completely shut down an opponent’s game. That should be the case on Friday night against Jackson, where Amosov is an understandably big favorite. Pick: Yaroslav Amosov via UD
Sergio Pettis vs. Patchy Mix: It’s interesting to see Pettis as an underdog once again, especially after completely dominating the Bellator G.O.A.T. in Patricio Pitbull. Mix looked fantastic running through the Grand Prix, though, and cracking Stots with a knee the way he did in the finals was quite an eye-catching moment. Still, Pettis has learned to thrive in these moments and should be feeling confident against a dangerous opponent. Mix seems to have figured out the cardio issues that cost him in his fight with Archuleta. This is a tough fight to call but we’re rolling with the man on the way up. Pick: Patchy Mix via submission, Round 3
