Gegard Mousasi Defends Bellator Middleweight Championship Against Unbeaten Rafael Lovato Jr. on Jan. 26 in L.A.
TWO TITLES ON THE LINE AT BELLATOR 214 IN L.A. ON JANUARY 26
GEGARD MOUSASI DEFENDS BELLATOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST UNBEATEN RAFAEL LOVATO JR.
The co-main event of Bellator’s return to the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Jan. 26 will see reigning middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) defend his title against undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0).
The main event of the card will feature the Finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where the greatest heavyweight of all-time Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1 NC) faces current light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader (26-5) for the Bellator world heavyweight title. A recently added featherweight bout will pit super-prospect Aaron Pico (4-1) against the always-tough Henry Corrales (16-3). Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader are on sale now and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and will be simulcast live on DAZN. Preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.
Fighting out of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, Gegard Mousasi will be looking to follow-up his decisive TKO victory over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 in what will be his second title defense since becoming champion earlier this year. “The Dreamcatcher” is currently in the midst of an impressive eight-fight win streak that dates back to 2016. The 33-year-old judo black belt has dominated the stacked middleweight class since signing with Bellator in 2017, collecting three victories in as many bouts, including a pair of knockouts against Rafael Carvalho and MacDonald in both of his world title fights. The former Strikeforce champion, who debuted in impressive fashion against Alexander Shlemenko, now looks to extend his current win streak and defend the middleweight belt for the second time in just five months.
Rafael Lovato Jr. will be making his sixth appearance for Bellator, a bout where not only will the 35-year-old’s unblemished mark of 9-0 be on the line, but also a world championship belt. Since signing with the Viacom-owned promotion in 2017, the Oklahoma City-based fighter has tallied five wins and four finishes, three of which came in the opening round, including his most recent submission win over top middleweight contender John Salter at Bellator 205. A fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the former Legacy FC middleweight champ will finally have his shot at Bellator gold when he takes on current 185-pound champion Mousasi in the co-main event of Bellator’s return to Los Angeles on Jan. 26.
Updated Bellator: Fedor vs. Bader Fight Card:
Heavyweight World Grand Prix Finals Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1 NC) vs. Ryan Bader (26-5)
Middleweight World Title Bout: Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0)
Featherweight Feature Bout: Aaron Pico (4-1) vs. Henry Corrales (16-3)
Updated Preliminary Card:
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Segura (9-6) vs. Richard Leroy (7-1)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jorge Juarez (3-0) vs. David Pacheco (Pro Debut)
*Card subject to change
