| Bader vs. Kongo |
Polizzi vs. Romero |
Brander vs. Gallon |
Larkin vs. Stewart |
Babene vs. Shipman |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 76-38 |
Bader (76%) |
 Romero (62%) |
 Gallon (80%) |
 Larkin (90%) |
 Shipman (61%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 75-39  2018 Champion |
Bader |  Polizzi |
Gallon |
Larkin |
 Babene |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 75-39 |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Shipman |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 74-40 |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Shipman |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 73-41 2014 Champion |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Shipman |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 72-42 |
 Kongo |
Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Babene |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 71-43 |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Shipman |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 71-43 |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Shipman |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 70-44 2017 Champion |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Babene |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Shipman |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 66-48 |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Babene |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 56-58 |
Bader | Romero |
Gallon |
Larkin |
Shipman |
Bellator is in Paris this week, and a French fan favorite gets another shot at a title in front of his home fans.
Bellator 280 takes place Friday at Accor Arena in Paris. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (29-7 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) puts his title on the line against Cheick Kongo (31-11-2 MMA, 13-3 BMMA). The two fought in 2019, but the bout ended in a no contest when Kongo accidentally was poked in the eye and couldn’t continue. Bader is a big 5-1 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook, and he has all but one of our 11 of our editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers picking him to retain his belt.
In the co-feature, former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero (13-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) takes on Alex Polizzi (10-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) at light heavyweight. Romero is a slight favorite at -160, but he’s got a big 10-1 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, Davy Gallon (20-7-2, 2-0 BMMA) is one of two unanimous picks in his lightweight bout against Benjamin Brander (13-8 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Gallon is a -550 favorite and has a sweep in our staff members’ picks.
The other unanimous pick is -380 favorite Lorenz Larkin (23-7 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) in his middleweight bout against Kyle Stewart (15-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).
And to open the main card, our most contentious fight from a picks standpoint is Mike Shipman (14-3 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) in his middleweight bout against Gregory Babene (21-11 MMA, 3-0 BMMA). Shipman is -190 favorite and 7-4 picks lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Bader (76 percent), Romero (62 percent), Gallon (80 percent), Larkin (90 percent) and Shipman (61 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
Bellator 280 predictions: Who’s picking Cheick Kongo to take title from Ryan Bader?
