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Bellator Odds: Patricky Pitbull vs. Roberto de Souza continues on the main card with the featured bout in the women's flyweight division between Kana Watanabe and former title challenger Veta Arteaga. Watanabe lost a very controversial split decision to Ilima-Lei MacFarlane in her last fight meanwhile, has won his first two fights in Bellator's lightweight division and is looking to keep the momentum going meanwhile, Arteaga is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Sumiko Inaba. With that said, check out our Bellator odds series for our Watanabe-Arteaga prediction and pick.
Kana Watanabe (11-2-1) was looking like a title contender until her momentum was halted by the current women's flyweight champion Liz Carmouche. She has since gone 1-1 after her first loss in Bellator and will be looking to get a big win over a former title contender in Veta Arteaga to put her back into the title mix.
Veta Arteaga (7-5) has been a longtime staple of the women's flyweight division basically since its inception. This will now be her 12th fight in the Bellator cage and will be facing one of her toughest adversaries to date in Kana Watanabe. This fight is a must-win situation for Arteaga who is just 2-3 in her last five fights and will make it two losses in her if she were to come up short this weekend against Watanabe in Japan.
Here are the Bellator Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Bellator Odds: Kana Watanabe-Veta Arteaga Odds
Kana Watanabe: -430
Veta Arteaga: +310
How to Watch Kana Watanabe vs. Veta Arteaga
TV: Showtime
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET/ 8:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
Why Kana Watanabe Will Win
Kana Watanabe will have the home advantage as the fight takes place in Japan. Fighting in front of her home crowd can provide an extra boost of motivation and support, which could work in her favor. Watanabe is known for her impressive well-rounded skillset. She possesses a diverse striking arsenal, with crisp punches, powerful kicks, and effective combinations along with top-notch grappling, ground and pound, and submissions. Her ability to land significant strikes and dominate on the mat will give her a significant advantage.
Watanabe will be highly motivated to secure a victory against Arteaga. A win over Arteaga, who is a tough and respected opponent. After a close split decision loss to Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, Watanabe will be looking to finish Arteaga or dominate her to the point there is no denying her on the judge's scorecards this time around.
Why Veta Arteaga Will Win
Arteaga is known for her aggressive fighting style, with a high work rate and a willingness to push the pace throughout the fight. This could be a key factor in the matchup against Watanabe, who may struggle to keep up with Arteaga's pace.
Arteaga has a solid amount of experience in the MMA world, having competed in high-profile bouts like competing for the women's flyweight championship earlier in her Bellator career. She also has faced former title challengers and champions all throughout her time with Bellator.
Her best path to victory is to keep this fight on the feet and out of the grasp of Watanabe. While Watanabe is a powerful striker in her own right, Arteaga seems to be more well-equipped to win this fight on the feet and at range than in a grappling match. If she is able to do that she can score the huge upset on Saturday night.
Final Kana Watanabe-Veta Arteaga Prediction & Pick
The upcoming fight between Kana Watanabe and Veta Arteaga is a highly anticipated matchup during the main card of Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN 2. Watanabe is looking to get her last loss back after many thought it was a controversial loss against MacFarlane. This added motivation might assist in Watanabe looking to finish this fight instead of letting it go to the judge's scorecards. She also has a great finishing rate in her wins, she has only gone the distance four times in her 11 wins. Arteaga on the other hand, just seems to be a big outmatched, especially in the grappling. With Watanabe's size and strength advantage, it will be hard for her to keep this fight standing. Arteaga will try to do her best to keep Watanabe at bay and not come within grappling distance but ultimately Watanabe will be able to get within range, land takedowns, and finish her heavy ground and pound into a submission that makes her tap. It doesn't matter how long the fight lasts, Watanabe will get it done.
Final Kana Watanabe-Veta Arteaga Prediction & Pick: Kana Watanabe (-430)
