Tag: Bellator 250

Bellator 250 reactions: Winning and losing fighters on social media

See how the Bellator 250 winners and losers reacted on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums and, perhaps most importantly, social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Thursday’s Bellator 250 event in Uncasville, Conn., several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

The defeated

Douglas Lima gave Gegard Mousasi ‘way too much respect,’ not done at middleweight

Douglas Lima vows that he’s not done in the middleweight division after falling short of the title at Bellator 250.

[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] vows that he’s not done in the middleweight division after falling short of the title Thursday at Bellator 250.

Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA), the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, failed in his quest to become a dual titleholder when he dropped a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) for the vacant strap at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

An inability to stop Mousasi from pressuring him, as well as failing to stop takedowns in key moments, proved to be significant contributors to Lima’s loss. He kept his spirits high in the aftermath of the fight, though, and said that while defending the 170-pound strap is in his immediate plans, he’s “not done” at middleweight.

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Read Lima’s full statement following Bellator 250 below (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/CG-PIojjsgp

First thank you God before anything! Glory is always yours! I stepped in the gas too late and showed way too much respect in this fight! I’m defending my welterweight belt next, but I’m not done with this weight class! I will fight for this MW belt again! I fought one of the best in the world at his weight class! I will learn a lot from this fight and come back better! Thank you all for supporting me and sorry for those that I disappointed as well, it’s not always a big knockout specially at this level! I will be back really soon! Thank you Team and family I love you all! 🇧🇷

Despite Lima’s claim that he would be back “very soon,” Bellator president Scott Coker said after Bellator 250 that he’d like to see the Brazilian take some time off following a hard five-round fight.

Coker said there are a bevy of options for Lima when he does return to welterweight to defend the gold, and he named a rematch with Michael Page or a showdown with Neiman Gracie as two matchups of interest.

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Bellator 250 winner Sabah Homasi rants on ‘fluke’ COVID-19 pandemic that ‘doesn’t make any sense’

After one of the night’s most impressive finishes, Sabah Homasi told reporters he’s not buying into the COVID-19 global pandemic.

[autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] picked up one of the night’s most impressive finishes with a flying knee knockout of Bobby Voelker at Bellator 250.

Following his win, Homasi (15-8 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) spoke to reporters about the finish, his admiration for Donald Trump, his opinion that the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is being overblown, and much more.

“(Expletive) this COVID (expletive), first of all, this bull(expletive)-ass virus,” Homasi said. “You’ve got places closing down … people wearing masks, people freaking out. … This is a very contagious virus, right? We’ve got to be (expletive) scared of this (expletive)? If (Nick Newell) had it – which, I think it’s a false positive – if he had it, so many other people would have had it. He’s literally grappling right next to me with his buddy, training and whatnot, and then he tests positive, but his buddy doesn’t? It doesn’t make any sense, man.

“I just think this whole (expletive) is a fluke. You’ve got 99.7 (percent) survival rate on it. I mean, there’s more deadlier things out here than the coronavirus or the (expletive) COVID-19 or whatever. So don’t even ask me stupid-ass questions about COVID. (Expletive) that (expletive).”

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

Bellator 250 took place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Editor’s note: In the video above, Homasi says COVID-19 has a “99.7 (percent) survival rate on it.” The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists more than 8.9 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States with more than 228,000 deaths. Both numbers continue to rise. The number of deaths from the known cases puts the mortality rate at 2.56 percent of cases in the U.S., or 8.5 times the amount of deaths Homasi claims in the video.)

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Scott Coker likes Michael Page, Neiman Gracie as potential next opponents for Douglas Lima

Scott Coker doesn’t see Douglas Lima’s loss to Gegard Mousasi as too big of a setback.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Scott Coker doesn’t see [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag]’s loss to Gegard Mousasi as too big of a setback.

Bellator welterweight champion Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) fell short in his pursuit to capture the vacant middleweight title when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Mousasi in Thursday’s Bellator 250 main event.

Speaking to reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight, Coker discussed what could be next for Lima and when he expects to see him back. He mentioned the likes of [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag], who’s been chomping at the bit to run things back with Lima, as well as prospect and submission ace [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag].

Lima bounced Page out of the ranks of the unbeaten in the Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinals in May 2019. Since then, Page has won four in a row, including three by knockout.

“He’s still our 170-pound champ, and we’re going to have some good fights for him, as well,” Coker said. “I know that ‘MVP’ wants to fight him again. I think Neiman Gracie (would be a good fight), right at the top of my head. So we’re going to put him in some good fights and we’re going to let him heal up, rest up, and sometime next year, we’ll put him back in the cage.”

Coker was impressed with Lima’s showing and thinks he put on a much better effort than Rory MacDonald did when he was stopped by Mousasi at Bellator 206 in his attempt to claim the middleweight title.

“I actually thought he handled the weight well, and Gegard vs. Rory was a much different fight, as you saw,” Coker said. “(Mousasi) just destroyed Rory. Gegard vs. Lima was a tactical war. Lima was looking for that big counter punch, in my opinion – that’s how he had the fight going, trying to get that left hook in there, and it was just Gegard’s night. But I’m sure both of them aren’t going to be in good spirits tonight and dealing with a lot of pain, and to me it was a great main event.”

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Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of Bellator 250 with Kanye West, Slipknot and A$AP Ferg

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Thursday’s Bellator 250 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a Bellator win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from Bellator 250 went with as their backing tracks in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator 250 video highlights: Gegard Mousasi shuts down Douglas Lima’s two-title quest

Gegard Mousasi returned to championship form on Thursday when he defeated Douglas Lima in the Bellator 250 main event.

[autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] returned to championship form on Thursday when he defeated [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] in the Bellator 250 main event.

Mousasi (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) claimed the vacant middleweight strap with a unanimous decision victory over Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA), who is the current welterweight titleholder, in the headlining contest at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The fight was a methodical chess match over the course of five rounds. It didn’t necessarily live up to the pre-fight hype, but two elite athletes went at it for 25 minutes, and Mousasi came out of the victor.

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Watch the video highlights from Bellator 250 above, including Mousasi’s win as well as other main card action from the event.

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Gegard Mousasi praises Douglas Lima’s toughness at Bellator 250, expects John Salter next

Gegard Mousasi knows who he wants to fight next after reclaiming the Bellator middleweight title.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Douglas Lima didn’t win the Bellator middleweight title on Thursday, but if it’s any consolation prize, his opponent [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] was impressed.

Mousasi (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) defeated the Bellator welterweight champion Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA by unanimous decision to claim the promotion’s vacant middleweight belt. After the fight, Mousasi voiced his surprise with Lima’s toughness and power in the cage.

“(Lima was) a tough opponent,” Mousasi told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the Bellator 250 post-fight news conference. “I underestimated him in the beginning, maybe. He’s in his prime. Beating him, I was more technical. That’s why I beat him. This is a guy who is in his prime. He’s difficult to put away. I’d rather have a finish, but he wouldn’t go away. After the first round, I knew this guy was gonna stay for five (rounds).”

Lima’s leg kicks, in particular, caught Mousasi’s attention over the course of 25 minutes. The new champ was visibly hurting at the post-fight news conference, occasionally groaning and moaning as he reflected on the bout.

If the fight had gone on longer, Mousasi predicted he would’ve had a serious problem.

“In the last round, he hurt me,” Mousasi said. “I wasn’t showing it but I think I would have gone limping if it would’ve gone a little bit longer. I knew (it was) five rounds, so I didn’t show and I kept fighting.”

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As for what’s next, Mousasi said John Salter is his ideal next challenger, despite Bellator president Scott Coker laying the foundation for a move up to light heavyweight. Salter (18-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) has won three straight fights, including a submission win over Andrew Kapel at Bellator 244 in August.

“He’s the next guy,” Mousasi said. “I’m definitely looking forward to that fight.”

Bellator 250 took place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card aired on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Scott Coker keen to see champ Gegard Mousasi move up to light heavyweight after Bellator 250

Despite just claiming Bellator’s middleweight title, it appears light heavyweight could be Gegard Mousasi’s division going forward.

Despite [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] just winning the Bellator middleweight title, it appears he could be fighting at light heavyweight in the near future.

Following Mousasi’s (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) unanimous decision victory over Douglas Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA). to claim the vacant 185-pound belt on Thursday in the Bellator 250 headliner, company president Scott Coker discussed his vision for the new champion’s future.

Although Mousasi said pre-fight that he thought John Salter would be the most deserving next man up at 185 pounds, Coker said he likes the idea of a jump up to 205 pounds.

Coker has touted Bellator’s light heavyweight division as the best in MMA, and he would like to see Mousasi join the ranks.

“When we signed Gegard he had a desire to fight at 205,” Coker told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at Bellator 250. “We’re going to explore that. We’ve got some great fights for him at 205. I still think we have the best 205-pound weight class in the world. We have I think six, seven, eight deep, including Corey Anderson who is going to fight Melvin (Manhoef) next week. To me, it’s something that I think he should do and he should go and try to check it out. But it’s up to him. We’ll see how he feels.”

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Mousasi has dabbled at both divisions throughout his career. He was light heavyweight champion in the now-defunct Strikeforce organization, but he hasn’t fought in the division since his UFC debut against Ilir Latifi in April 2013.

Still, though, Coker sees a lot of possibilities for “The Dreamcatcher” outside of the weight class where he currently holds Bellator gold. He mentioned a number of names, and even opened the door to Mousasi getting the opportunity Lima had at Bellator 250: The chance at a title in two divisions.

“I think him fighting Ryan Bader – I could see him fighting maybe Corey Anderson,” Coker said. “There’s a lot of guys. Even fighting (Vadim) Nemkov at some point. If he wants to go for the belt, we could have that conversation. He’s been focusing on this fight, and now that it’s over, I’m going to let him rest up and then we’ll have some conversations.”

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