Trent Reinsmith
- What: Bellator 287
- Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022
- Location: Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, Italy
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: Showtime
Bellator is back in Italy for the first time since October 2020 for Bellator 287. The fight card, which takes place on October 29 at Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, is headlined by a lightweight bout between longtime Bellator competitor Adam Piccolotti and promotional newcomer Mansour Barnaoui. Here is some background on the card’s main event fighters, before we discuss, in detail, the Bellator 287 betting breakdown.
Adam Piccolotti has been with Bellator since 2015. He joined the promotion with a 4-0 record. His correct record stands at 13-4. Piccolotti is coming off a February 2022 decision win over Georgi Karakhanyan. The bout was the 34-year-old’s first outing since an August 2020 decision setback to Sidney Outlaw. The US-born competitor has alternated wins and losses over his past five outings.
Mansour Barnaoui makes his Bellator debut with a 19-4 record. The 30-year-old Tunisian, who fights out of Paris, has wins in his past seven outings. Barnaoui’s most recent loss was a decision defeat at the hands of Mateusz Gamrot in 2016. Gamrot is currently the No. 9 ranked fighter in the official UFC rankings. Barnaoui has titles in BAMMA, M-1 Challenge and most recently Road FC. One thing to note heading into this contest is Barnaoui has not fought since he picked up a first-round submission win in May 2019.
Before we look at the best bets for the Bellator 287 main event matchup between Adam Piccolotti and Mansour Barnaoui, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find the best odds on all the UFC fights.
Bellator 287 Picks: Adam Piccolotti vs. Mansour Barnaoui
| Main Event Fighters |  |
| Adam Piccolotti | +101 |
| Mansour Barnaoui | -110 |
Adam Piccolotti vs. Mansour Barnaoui breakdown and analysis
Adam Piccolotti’s early career was impressive. He was 4-0 when he signed with Bellator in 2015. In his first two years with the promotion he added five more wins to his record, but when he moved up in competition in 2017, Piccolotti stalled out. His first three losses came against talented and recognizable names in Goiti Yamauchi, David Rickels and ex-UFC champion Benson Henderson. His fourth loss to Sidney Outlaw came against a name that might not ring out, but Outlaw is the No. 4 ranked lightweight in the Bellator 155-pound rankings. All of this is to say that Piccolotti., who is unranked in the official Bellator rankings, struggles against higher-level Bellator competition.
Mansour Barnaoui might not be a recognizable name to many, but the main reason for that might be his inactivity. However, Barnaoui is a talented fighter and a glance at his record shows that three of his four losses, all of which came via decision, were to fighters who later picked up UFC experience and fought at a high level for that promotion. Those three setbacks were to UFC lightweight title challengers Kevin Lee and Islam Makhachev and the third was to the aforementioned Gamrot.
Who has the edge
I won’t lie. The time off for Barnaoui gives me pause when looking at this matchup. However, he is still young and if he’s been consistently in the gym, I don’t think his time between fights should be a dealbreaker.
Piccolotti has won two fights by knockout, six via submission and five by way of decision. As for Barnaoui, he has six knockout wins, 12 submission victories and has had his hand raised one time via decision.
Both fighters are solid strikers with good grappling skills. We know Piccolotti seems to be stuck just below the top 15 of the Bellator lightweight division. We don’t know what the ultimate upside of his opponent is. Yes, Barnaoui has losses on his record, but those setbacks came against fighters that have developed into some of the best competitors in the UFC. With that, I think Barnaoui has yet to reach — or show fans — his peak.
Best Bellator 287 bets
This is great matchmaking and the winner of the bout will set themselves up to face a ranked opponent in their next Bellator outing. The best bet for the Bellator 287 main event contest between Adam Piccolotti and Mansour Barnaoui is for Barnaoui to get his hand raised in victory.
With the fact that Barnaoui has finishes in all but one of his victories, I am leaning toward a finish for him in this fight as well. I see Barnaoui picking up a submission win late in the fight.
Best Bellator 287 Picks: Mansour Barnaoui to beat Adam Piccolotti via submission.
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