Bellator 271: Cyborg vs. Kavanagh MMA Odds and Betting Picks

One of the greatest 145-pounders to grace the cage returns to Bellator on Friday night when Cris Cyborg puts her women featherweight title on the line against Sinead Kavanagh in the main event of Bellator 271. We look at the odds and make our Cyborg-Kavanagh picks.

As terrifying a human being that has ever walked the earth (honestly, only slight hyperbole), Cyborg hits like a Mack truck riding a freight train. The former UFC featherweight overlord has a history of completely overwhelming overmatched opponents. She has compiled a 24-2 record (1 no contest) over her illustrious 16-year career. Nineteen of those victories were via KO/TKO.

Set to make her ninth trip to the Bellator cage (and 12th overall), Kavanagh doesn’t have the sparkling resume or petrifying reputation of her Brazilian counterpart. Instead, she brings a respectable (but not eye-popping) 7-4 record into Friday’s encounter. Four of those wins were via KO/TKO.

Here are my picks and predictions for Friday’s Bellator 271 featherweight championship tilt between Cyborg and Kavanagh (odds via Fanduel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Cyborg vs. Kavanagh Fight Info

Date/Time: Friday, November 12, 10 p.m. ET (main card)TV: ShowtimeLocation: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, FL

Cyborg vs. Kavanagh Odds Analysis

As expected, the multi-time, multi-organizational champion is a massive favorite at -1800 (!!!). Anyone looking to take a flyer on a gigantic underdog can back Kavanagh at +1080 at FanDuel. A few sportsbooks had Cyborg open at -1200, and that gap has only widened as the fight draws nearer.

Cris Cyborg Betting Profile

Cyborg is one of the most feared women to ever don a pair of four-ounce gloves. She has collected championship belts in Invicta FC, Strikeforce, the UFC, and Bellator. Her blood-stained resume includes stoppage victories over Gina Carano, Marloes Coenen (x2), Leslie Smith (x2), Tonya Evinger, Julia Budd, and Holly Holm.

Her only loss in more than a decade-and-a-half came violently at the hands of Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 in 2018. Considering Nunes’ stature as the current baddest woman on the planet, we can probably give Cyborg a pass on that one. Cyborg has racked up four straight stoppage victories since the loss to Nunes. Three of those were under the Bellator banner.

A technically sound striker, Cyborg uses her sheer power and aggression to completely overwhelm her foes. She transforms into the Tasmanian devil once she smells blood in the water, and she ferociously swarms stunned fighters with fists and feet until they are buried in an avalanche of punches.

Sinead Kavanagh Betting Profile

Although not as seasoned as Cyborg, Kavanagh has plenty of reps in the Bellator cage. She comes into the bout riding a two-fight winning streak. A native of Dublin, Ireland, “KO” lived up to her nickname at Bellator 234, by scoring a second-round TKO of Olga Rubin. She followed that up with a unanimous decision win over Katharina Lehner in her most recent trip to the cage in October 2020.

The fifth-ranked fighter in Bellator’s women's featherweight division, Kavanagh, a boxer by trade, may not want to get into a firefight with Cyborg.

Cyborg vs. Kavanagh Betting Pick

Cyborg to win (-1800) ?????

SEE ALSO: All UFC Picks

Cyborg to win (-1800)

This fight isn’t all that competitive on paper and likely won’t be competitive once the cage door closes. Cyborg is too big, too strong, too aggressive, and hits too hard for Kavanagh to survive the champion’s fury.

Look for the Brazilian to clip Kavanagh with a shot early, before completely devastating the overwhelmed challenger with a hail of haymakers before the referee mercifully steps in at some point in the opening round.

Picks made 11/10/21 at 8:55 a.m. ET.