Bellator 207 and Bellator 208 took place on consecutive days during the weekend of Oct. 12-14. While many of the betting favorites won their bouts, in some cases, the manner in which they won caught many off-guard. That means some lucrative prop bets came through for sharp bettors, in addition to a couple underdogs picking up wins. Below are five of the biggest prop bets to cash.
Ryan Bader Wins by Decision (+265)
The first of two heavyweight tournament semifinals saw Bader absolutely big brother Matt Mitrione on his way to a lopsided unanimous decision in the Bellator 207 main event. Bader managed to take down Mitrione at will and beat up “The Ultimate Fighter 10” alum to win an easy decision on the judges’ scorecards. Most bettors saw Bader finishing this fight, so the prop on his winning a decision was out there at a profitable +265 mark.
Corey Browning Wins Inside the Distance (+900)
The biggest underdog on both cards to win was Browning, who registered a surprising technical knockout against Kevin Ferguson Jr. at Bellator 207. No one gave Browning a prayer in this fight, but he somehow pulled off a gigantic upset. Considering his other two wins came by submission, it was surprising to see him collect his first career knockout victory. The moneyline on Browning to win straight-up was +600, but the prop on him winning inside the distance was even juicier at +900.
Sergei Kharitonov Wins Inside the Distance (+400)
Another upset saw Kharitonov take out Roy Nelson in a devastating first-round knockout in the Bellator 207 co-headliner. Stylistically, this was a favorable fight for Kharitonov -- he was the more technical boxer -- but for whatever reason, he received little support at the sportsbooks and was available as a significant underdog. Even then, most who figured the Pride Fighting Championships veteran would win thought it would be by decision against the iron-chinned Nelson. Instead, Kharitonov scored the knockout. The prop on Kharitonov to win inside the distance was huge, cashing out at +400 odds.
Anatoly Tokov Wins by Decision (+418)
A battle of Russians saw Tokov take home a unanimous decision against former Bellator MMA middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 208. Tokov used his grappling and striking to drag Shlemenko into an ugly fight, as he managed to grind out a decision over the longtime promotional standout. Since most of Tokov’s previous wins came by stoppage, the prop on his winning a decision was out there at an insane +418.
Cheick Kongo Wins Inside the Distance (+460)
Cheick Kongo turned heads with his fists, as he battered Timothy Johnson to a first-round technical knockout at Bellator 208. It marked Kongo’s second straight knockout win, but this time, he shined as an underdog. He showed that the oddsmakers and bettors were off-base with their doubts, taking care of Johnson in just 68 seconds. The prop on Kongo winning the fight inside the distance hit at +460.
Adam Martin is a mixed martial arts journalist who has been covering the sport since 2011. He is currently the lead odds analyst for Sherdog.com as well as the lead staff writer for MMAOddsbreaker.com. Adam is also the co-host of “The Parting Shot Podcast” on iTunes. His favorite fight of all time is Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua and he wishes Pride never died. Adam is based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and he is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Centennial College. Get in touch with him on Twitter @MMAdamMartin.