UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Gegard Mousasi walked out of the cage at Bellator 250 on Thursday a two-time Bellator middleweight champion.
Mousasi (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) outpointed, grappled, and jabbed his way to a unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) victory over Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA).
The vacant middleweight title bout was the Bellator 250 main event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It aired on CBS Sports Network and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
“I had a poker face but he really hurt me.”@JohnMcCarthyMMA spoke with the new middleweight world champ @Mousasi_MMA following his win at #Bellator250 tonight. pic.twitter.com/oHATweSZps
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 30, 2020
Originally scheduled to take place in May 2019, the fight was postponed five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the opening round, Mousasi used his muscle to drag Lima to the mat. From there, he was able to get one hook in on Lima’s back. Mousasi hit Lima with infrequent, but hard, punches to the head.
Round 2 was more of a standup battle than the first. Mousasi stalked Lima for much of the round. While Lima had some success with his counter-striking, he found himself being pushed against the fence again late in the round.
Lima’s leg kicks came alive in Round 3 and generated the most successful offense he had in the fight up until that point. Mousasi, however, continued to walk Lima down. Mousasi’s jab pumped all fight but particularly in Round 3.
In fourth round, both fighters had their moments. Mousasi’s boxing combinations found the mark but Lima’s counter-striking was still effective. The two fighters exchanged brutal leg kicks, fighting to a generally even round.
In the final round, Mousasi and Lima went back-and-forth on the feet. With 90 seconds left in the round, Mousasi finally got the clean takedown he had been seeking. Although he held Lima down for the remainder of the fight, he was unable to generate any significant offense with it.
With the victory over Lima, Mousasi became the Bellator middleweight champion for the second time. Mousasi has won nine of his past 10 fights dating back to February 2016. His lone loss came via a majority decision to Rafael Lovato Jr. at Bellator 200 in June 2019. The loss snapped Mousasi’s eight-fight winning streak.
Following Lovato’s title-clinching performance over Mousasi, the then-middleweight champion was diagnosed with a brain condition that caused him to retire. Hence the belt was vacated prior to the Bellator 250 main event.
In defeat, Lima’s three-fight winning streak is snapped. Since 2012, Lima has only lost three times.
Full Bellator 251 results include:
- Gegard Mousasi def. Douglas Lima via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) – to win vacant middleweight title
- Henry Corrales def. Brandon Girtz via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
- Dalton Rosta def. Ty Gwerder via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jake Hager def. Brandon Calton via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Sabah Homasi de. Bobby Voelker via knockout (flying knee) – Round 2, 0:20
- Johnny Eblen def. Taylor Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Adam Borics def. Erick Sanchez via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Cody Law def. Orlando Ortega via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:41