Bellator 33 Odds: Alvarez vs Huerta

Sportsbooks are making Eddie Alvarez (20-2) a heavy -240 favorite to beat the one-time UFC top contender Roger "El Matador" Huerta (24-4-1) on Thursday at Bellator 33.

The Lightweight champion gets Huerta as a replacement opponent after Season 2 Lightweight tournament Sportsbook Pat Curran suffered a shoulder injury and had to pull out of his title shot with Alvarez.

Alvarez has been one of the brightest stars in the Bellator promotion and is currently on a five-fight submission win streak. His last fight was an impressive second-round rear-naked-choke victory over another UFC veteran, Josh Neer. Alvarez should be able to wear down Huerta with his wrestling skills, eventually winning by submission or decision.

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Huerta has been given another chance to keep himself relevant in the division, and if he can pull off the upset he will likely earn some type of shot at the title after Curran gets his shot. Huerta will pay an underdog price of +190 in a fight where he has little to lose and everything to gain.

But he does have three losses in his last four fights, and needs to turn things around if his career as a fighter is to remain profitable.

Also on the Bellator 33 fight card will be a Welterweight title matchup between two undefeated fighters. Bellator Season 2 Welterweight tournament Sportsbook Ben Askren (6-0) will challenge undefeated champion Lyman Good (10-0). Askren is a former Olympic Wrestler and will be a big favorite (-340) at Sportsbook to become the new champion.

Good will pay +260 if he can manage to beat the challenger, but most expect him to spend most of the fight on his back absorbing ground-and-pound punishment.

In a Featherweight matchup Deividas Taurosevicius (12-4-0) will be a -140 favorite against Wilson Reis (10-2-0). Reis will be worth +110, and might be the best option on the card for an upset pick. Both fighters are coming off decision losses and will not be looking to leave it in the judge’s hands this time out.

Taurosevicius will be making his Bellator debut, and the Lithuanian fighter may not match up well against another Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter with boxing skills.

Rounding out the main card will be another Welterweight fight between LeVon Maynard (10-6-0) and Risk Dawn (8-0), while the undercard features local fighters getting a chance to display their skills in front of a hometown crowd.

Bellator 33 Undercard Matches:

Jamal Patterson (5-2) vs Tim Carpenter (3-0-0)
Edward Gueddes (5-0-0) vs Chris Liguori (11-8)
Kenny Foster (7-2-0) vs Lester Caslow (6-3-0)
Daniel Tavares (0-2-0) vs Will Martinez (1-2-1)
Nick Cottone (8-2-1) vs Tuan Pham (2-3-0)
Lewis Cassner (4-2-1) vs Fran Evans (Debut, 6-1 Amateur)