Bellator 217 odds, predictions: Proven MMA insider picks James Gallagher vs. Steven Graham

A matchup of rising bantamweights headlines the Bellator 217 fight card Saturday. The 14-bout card, from 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, starts at 7 p.m. ET with preliminary matches, and the main card is expected to begin at approximately 9 p.m. ET. The main event features a clash of bantamweights between James Gallagher and Steven Graham. Gallagher (7-1) is a teammate of UFC icon Conor McGregor and considered one of the Bellator’s rising stars. He is looking to bounce back from the first loss of his MMA career. Meanwhile, Graham (6-3) has seen all of his victories come by stoppage. Gallagher is a -510 favorite (risk $510 to win $100), while Graham is at +340 (risk $100 to win $340) in the latest Gallagher vs. Graham odds. Before you make any Bellator 217 picks of your own, be sure to see the latest MMA predictions from SportsLine’s proven MMA expert, Kyle Marley.

Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows.

Over the past nine months, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $17,000. It’s an astonishing cash rate that shows the depth of Marley’s knowledge. At the highly anticipated UFC on ESPN 1 last week, Marley posted another winning record and gave followers an underdog champion when accurately predicted Andre Fili (+120) winning by decision over Myles Jury. He advised SportsLine members that Fili’s striking would be the difference in a tight fight and, sure enough, his advantage in clean blows were the difference in a 29-28 win on all three scorecards. 

Moreover, a month ago Marley said Henry Cejudo, a +175 underdog, would beat T.J. Dillashaw by TKO — and that’s exactly what happened. He’s the same expert who called Amanda Nunes’ stunning upset of Cris Cyborg in UFC 232 and nailed Max Holloway’s TKO of Brian Ortega in UFC 231. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.

Now, with Bellator 217 fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the live Bellator 217 odds, and released his top selections for the card.

He knows that Gallagher, 22, is the youngest of the eight fighters scheduled to compete on the main card. He suffered a first-round knockout at Bellator 204 in August in his bantamweight debut, but has earned five of his six career submission wins by rear-naked choke. All three of Graham’s career losses have come by knockout and none of his fights have ever gone past the first round. You can only see his pick for that fight at SportsLine.

One pick we’ll give away for the Bellator 217 fight card is that Marley is taking Richie Smullen (-365) over Adam Gustab (+255) in a featherweight bout. Smullen will make his Bellator debut after a one-fight UFC stop that saw him lose to Luis Pena in July.

“Smullen will be the bigger fighter in this match, being the natural 155-pounder, while Gustab usually fights at 145,” Marley told SportsLine. “Gustab lost his last two fights and is now making his debut a weight class higher than usual.”

Marley also has locked in his Gallagher vs. Graham picks, and he’s recommending a three-fight parlay that could result in a massive payout. The selections are only available at SportsLine. 

Who wins Gallagher vs. Graham? And which three-fight parlay do you need to book now? Visit SportsLine now to see which fighters you need to be all over in Bellator 217 on Saturday, all from the incomparable expert who’s up more than $17,000 in MMA bets the past nine months.