Bellator 258 Betting Prediction, Analysis, Prop Bets (May 7, 2021)

Update: Bellator 258 took place on May 7, and three of four of our predictions turned out correct. There were some fights that ended up canceled, but all in all, we think we did a fine job!

If you would like to read more of our MMA betting previews, make sure to check out the following articles:

• Tony Ferguson vs Beneil Dariush Prediction & Prop Bet Picks (UFC 262)
• Rizin 28 Tokyo: Bantamweight Grand Prix Preview
• Font vs. Garbrandt Betting Prediction & Pick (UFC Fight Night 188)
• Oliveira vs Chandler Preview, Betting Prediction, Prop Bets (UFC 262)

Bantamweight World Champion Juan Archuleta will defend his title against Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258 in May. The same event should have eight other fights: three other main card fights and five preliminaries. We’re going to preview all of those fights and give out our Bellator 258 betting predictions.

• Event: Bellator 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis
• Date: Friday, May 7, 2021
• Place: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, US

Bellator 258 Bouts

Bellator 258 Main Card Fights

• Juan Archuleta vs Sergio Pettis (Bantamweight)
• Anthony Johnson vs Yoel Romero (Light Heavyweight)
• Patchy Mix vs James Gallagher (Bantamweight)
• Patricky Freire vs Peter Queally (Lightweight)

The Archuleta vs Pettis fight is the headliner fight of Bellator 258, but there are plenty of other interesting duels.

For instance, one of the most interesting main card fights is the clash between two former UFC stars Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero, the winner of which will advance to the semifinal of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament.

Then, there’s also the clash between ex Bantamweight title challenger Patchy Mix and James Gallagher, as well as the fight between Patricky Freire and Peter Queally.

Bellator 250 Preliminary Fights

• Henry Corrales vs Keith Lee (Bantamweight)
• Raufeon Stots vs Josh Hill (Bantamweight)
• Johnny Eblen vs Daniel Madrid (Middleweight)
• Weber Almeida vs Johnny Soto (Featherweight)
• Bryce Logan vs Alan Omer (Lightweight)

Bellator MMA veteran Henry “OK” Corrales is making a comeback to the Bantamweight division in the fight against Keith “Killa” Lee, who’s 10 years his junior. In the other Bantamweight preliminary, Raufeon “Supa” Stots wants to keep his winning run ongoing, for which, he needs to beat Josh “Gentleman” Hill.

In the only Middleweigth fight of the event, Johnny Eblen takes on Daniel Madrid, while in the only Featherweight bout, Weber Almeida and Johnny Soto square off. Finally, there’s also a Lightweight fight in the preliminary card, which is Bryce Logan vs Alan Omer.

We’re now going to give you our betting predictions for all the fights of Bellator 258.

FatCatBet’s Bellator 258 Betting Predictions

Juan Archuleta vs Sergio Pettis Prediction

Juan Archuleta is the reigning champion of the Bellator Bantamweight Division. He won the title against Patchy Mix last September. His first title defense happens in May when he goes toe-to-toe with former UFC fighter Sergio Pettis.

The fact that Pettis used to fight in the UFC means that everyone needs to take him seriously. Another fact going in his favor is that he’s winning percentage in Bellator MMA is 100%. He won both of his fights since signing for this promotion.

Archuleta’s Bellator record is arguably even more impressive. He won seven fights while losing only one. The fight he lost was a featherweight bout, but he’s now fighting in the Bantamweight division.

Knowing all this, we must say that this is going to be a very close fight. Each fighter has an equal chance to win, which is why we’re gonna go with an MMA prop bet for this fight. Our prediction is that the Juan Archuleta vs Sergio Pettis fight will go the distance.

Why? Well, apart from the fact that the two are very close in terms of quality, there’s another fact we can’t ignore – 14 of 27 fights in Archuleta’s professional career went the distance, while 16 of 25 fights Pettis fought so far were decided by the judges.

Juan Archuleta vs Sergio Pettis Pick:

• Fight to Go the Distance

FatCatBet’s Anthony Johnson vs Yoel Romero Prediction

Johnson and Romero both spent some time in the UFC. The word “some” might not be appropriate as Johnson made his UFC debut back in 2007. He then made a two-year pause before returning to the elite MMA promotion in 2014.

His UFC story finally ended in 2017 when he lost the Lightweight title fight to Daniel Cormier. Since then, he hasn’t fought a single MMA fight. The Anthony Johnson vs Yoel Romero bout is going to be his first professional fight in more than four years.

Sure, he’s got a fantastic pedigree, but a lot of things have happened since he left the UFC. In 2019, for example, he ended up behind bars for a fight with his girlfriend. The same year he tested positive for marijuana, which got him in trouble with the law once again.

Johnson’s Bellator debut isn’t going to be an easy fight. He’s taking on another UFC veteran Yoel Romero. Unlike Johnson, Romero did not have a gap year(s). Instead, his last previous fight happened last year. He fought Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight title, but lost by unanimous decision.

That was his third loss in a row, after which the UFC did not wish to renew his contract. As a result, Romero is now fighting under the banner of Bellator MMA, with his debut set for May 7, 2021. The question is will he win on his debut? We say yes!

Anthony Johnson vs Yoel Romero Pick:

• Yoel Romero

FatCatBet’s Patchy Mix vs James Gallagher Prediction

On September 12, 2020, Patrick “Patchy” Mix had a go at the vacant Bellator Bantamweight World Championship belt but lost to Juan Archuleta by unanimous decision. That was his first defeat in the career. Is the second one on its way?

James Gallagher would certainly love for that to happen. He’s coming into this fight as an underdog, although his professional record is pretty decent (11-1). Still, the fact is that he didn’t face the very best Bellator MMA fighters. In fact, Patchy Mix has a better record than any fighter Gallagher’s fought so far.

Patchy Mix vs James Gallagher Pick:

• Patchy Mix

FatCatBet’s Patricky Freire vs Peter Queally Prediction  

Neither fighter has fought since 2019 and they are both probably very eager to get back in the octagon. This goes especially for Patricky Freire, who’s already 35. His most recent fight was a defeat to Tofiq Musayev at RIZIN 20. He surely wants to get back to a winning track with a win on May 7.

Peter Queally won his most recent fight. He KO-ed Ryan Scope at Bellator 227, showing the world why his nickname is the Showstopper. He definitely has the ability to do the same against Freire. However, if Freire manages to stay on his feet until the final bell, it’s very likely the judges will vote in his favor. Actually, that’s going to be our Bellator prop pick in this case.

Patricky Freire vs Peter Queally Pick:

• Patricky Freire to Win by Points

Betting Prediction & Picks for Bellator 258 Prelims

We’re done with Bellator 258 betting predictions for the fights from the main card. Now its time to cover the preliminaries.

Henry Corrales vs Keith Lee Prediction

Henry Corrales has a record of 18-5, while Keith Lee’s record is 7-4. Obviously, Henry has a better record. However, Corrales is moving up a division, while Lee has been in the Bantamweight division for a while. Nevertheless, Corrales is a better fighter and we should see him winning.

Henry Corrales vs Keith Lee Pick:

• Henry Corrales

Raufeon Stots vs Josh Hill Prediction

Raufeon Stots is 32 and has lost only one fight in his career. It happened in 2017, when Merab Dvalishvilli landed a lucky punch after only 15 seconds of the fight. Since then, Stots has been fantastic, winning seven fights in a row.

The trouble is that his run might end on May 7. The reason is that he’s squaring off with Canada’s best Pro Bantamweight fighter, Josh Hill.  

Raufeon Stots vs Josh Hill Pick:

• Josh Hill

Johnny Eblen vs Daniel Madrid Prediction

Johnny Eblen is without a single loss in his MMA career. The trouble is that he’s fought only seven fights so far. His opponent, Daniel Madrid, has more experience, but his record is not as impressive (18-6). This is going to be an interesting fight and we could see motivated (and confident) Eblen winning again.

Johnny Eblen vs Daniel Madrid Pick:

• Johnny Eblen

Weber Almeida vs Johnny Soto Prediction

Weber Almeida and Johnny Soto aren’t famous fighters but their future might be shiny. Almeida has won all of his four professional fights, while Soto’s record is 3-1.

For Soto, this is going to be his first Bellator MMA fight. Almeida, on the other hand, has fought all of his fights under the banner of this promotion. For this reason, we think he’s going to be the one to win.

Weber Almeida vs Johnny Soto Pick:

• Weber Almeida

Bryce Logan vs Alan Omer Prediction

The last Bellator 258 fight we’re going to preview is the Lightweight clash between Bryce Logan and Alan Omer. Both fighters are in their early 30s, but Omer has fought significantly more fights than his rival. His record is 24-5, while Logan’s is 12-5.

Alen Omer has also tried himself in the UFC. He had two bouts in the UFC Fight Night but lost both of them. However, his Bellator MMA career started well – he beat Ryan Scope by KO in his debut in October.

Bryce Logan vs Alan Omer Pick:

• Alan Omer