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Gegard Mousasi sends positive message to rival, former Bellator champ Rafael Lovato Jr.

Gegard Mousasi says he never truly had any animosity toward Rafael Lovato Jr., despite past trash talk to the contrary.

[autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] says he never had any real animosity toward [autotag]Rafael Lovato Jr.[/autotag] now that a rematch with his fellow former Bellator champ is off the table.

Lovato (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) took the middleweight belt from Mousasi (46-7-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) at Bellator 223 in June, and there’s been a push for a second fight since, with Mousasi throwing out some hefty personal attacks to try to make it happen. The rematch was supposed to happen in January, but concerns about Lovato’s health lingered.

Those concerns have since been realized, because a rare brain condition recently forced Lovato to relinquish the belt, setting up a fight between Mousasi and Douglas Lima for vacant gold at Bellator San Jose on May 9.

At this point, Lovato is effectively retired unless something changes and he can receive medical clearance, meaning the rematch is highly unlikely. Mousasi said health is the priority, though, and he’s OK if the fight never happens.

“I don’t know if he’s ever going to get approved again,” Mousasi told MMA Junkie. “I know he’s trying and he’s a competitor and he always wants to compete even if it’s not healthy for you. I can understand him, but I wish him the best. I don’t wish him any bad doings or any harm. We were competitors, I want to fight him bad and I said some things, but that’s in the past. I’m not going to fight him anytime soon, so I’m just going to concentrate in Douglas Lima.”

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Although some of his previous comments would point to the contrary, Mousasi said he never had a personal beef. Mousasi had a justifiable competitive rival after Lovato took Bellator gold away from him and put a loss on his recent, but Mousasi said any of the trash talk came from a place of trying to build up the rematch.

“I always liked him, I still liked him,” Mousasi said. “He’s a guy I can be friends with. We just had to fight each other and I lost and that’s the way it went. I wanted to get the rematch, I really wanted to win that fight to prove my point and that was it. As a person he’s a humble, respectful person. I feel bad for the guy. He can’t compete anymore. When I tore my ACL I knew how that felt, and this is even worse because maybe it’s the end of his career. I wish him the best.”

Mousasi said he won’t have any “sleepless nights” if he never gets to fight Lovato again. He’s been presented with a big opportunity to fight Lima, who is the reigning Bellator welterweight champ looking to claim a second title. Mousasi, however, is confident he won’t let that happen.

“I really wanted the rematch, but that fight is not going to affect me,” Mousasi said. “Life goes on and I get to fight Douglas Lima who is a hell of a competitor. He’s a big champion, so I’m looking forward to the next challenge.”

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Gegard Mousasi thinks he has every advantage in Bellator title fight vs. Douglas Lima

“I can beat him at his strongest points, and I can also beat him at his weakest.”

[autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] has no ill will toward [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag], but he thinks the welterweight champion is walking into a nightmare matchup when he goes for the Bellator middleweight title in May.

After Rafael Lovato Jr. was forced to relinquish the 185-pound belt because of a brain condition, Mousasi (46-7-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) was tabbed to fight Lima (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) for the vacant title at the promotion’s May 9 event from SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

The last time a reigning 170-pound champ moved up to pursue more Bellator gold, it did not go so well. Mousasi dismantled Rory MacDonald for a second-round TKO at Bellator 206 in September 2018, but Lima will try to forge his own path and get a different result.

Mousasi said Lima is a better fit physically at middleweight than MacDonald, but he doesn’t think the Brazilian’s style lends itself well to the upcoming matchup.

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“Last time I was fighting I saw him and said, ‘Wow, you’re a big guy,'” Mousasi told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “I hugged him. He’s really big. So, he’s not a small welterweight. He’s going to be big. I don’t think there’s going to be a huge difference in weight, but there’s going to be a size difference. I’m going to be bigger and stronger, I believe. It’s going to be tough for him.”

Mousasi said he’s confident anywhere the fight, but he can’t see many avenues to a loss. Lima is tied for the most knockout wins in Bellator history. However, his power is unproven at middleweight.

“I feel like I’m better at the standup, and that’s his strength, and when I’m on the ground I’m stronger,” Mousasi said. “I don’t know where he feels he has the advantage. I’m not underestimating him because he’s one hell of a fighter, but I feel like I’m better at the standup, and that’s his strength. I feel like I have the reach and the standup and technique better than him. I can beat him at his strongest points, and I can also beat him at his weakest.”

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Should Mousasi vs. Lima play out primarily as a striking affair, “The Dreamcatcher” thinks the advantage tips significantly in his favor. Mousasi has dealt with almost every style of striker during his storied combat sports career, and he can’t see anything Lima offers in that area other than a potential one-shot finish.

He intends to navigate his way through that and ultimately reclaim the title he lost to Lovato last June.

“If he wants to win, I think he has to knock me out,” Mousasi said. “And technically I’m better. That’s the only way I see he can beat me: If he catches me when I make a mistake. Other than that, I can beat him in the standup.”

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Twin title-fight booking shows ‘champ-champ’ narrative is alive and well in Bellator

We look at why Bellator has gone all-in on their two-division champion narrative with a twin title-fight booking in California on May 9.

Bellator dropped some big news Tuesday with the announcement of a championship doubleheader at their May 9 show in San Jose.

The main event will feature promotional “champ-champ” [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), who puts his light heavyweight title on the line against surging contender [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) as he bids to maintain his position as a simultaneous two-division champion. But it’s the announcement of the co-main event that has really caught the imagination, with reigning welterweight king and grand prix victor [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) stepping up to 185 pounds to take on former middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (46-7-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) for the newly-vacated title.

The event represents Bellator’s biggest statement of 2020, as they stack the deck for arguably their most important card of the year so far. Here are four key reasons why the event is so important for the promotion:

It gives Bellator the chance to compete head to head with the UFC

When the sad news of Rafael Lovato Jr.’s brain condition was announced, his decision to relinquish the middleweight title was an unfortunate inevitability. But the recently-crowned champ did so with class, stepping down as champion to allow the division to move on. With such a blockbuster matchup waiting to be booked, Lovato’s decision not to sit on the belt any longer than necessary meant the organization could stack the deck for their May event, which will go head-to-head with UFC 250 in Brazil.

The UFC card for Sao Paulo is expected to feature a bantamweight title clash between champ Henry Cejudo and former titleholder Jose Aldo, but the presence of Bellator’s in-form Brazilian champion Lima would offer an interesting wrinkle to the direct comparisons between the two fight cards. The booking of two title fights, featuring three well-known names to U.S. fans plus a dangerous Russian contender, means Bellator will head into that weekend thinking they have a real chance to compete head-to-head with the UFC and come out on top.

Until the full fight cards are confirmed by the two promotions, it’s tough to compare the events side-by-side on star power, but one area where Bellator may hold the advantage is in their broadcast setup. UFC 250 will be an ESPN+ pay-per-view event, while Bellator’s show will simultaneously air on Paramount and stream live on DAZN, a platform for which regular MMA watchers will likely already have a subscription.

If it comes down to a straight choice, a solid event that airs on cable and streams on a service has already been paid for could end up getting the nod over the additional expense of a pay-per-view event in Brazil, especially considering the names already confirmed at the top of the card.

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