It sets up a brand new ‘champ-champ’ storyline
Whichever way the matchup pans out, Bellator will be left with a compelling “champ-champ” angle to pursue through the second half of the year.
For Mousasi, the prospect of moving up to 205 pounds to fight for the title has always appealed and would surely become a reality with a win over Lima. But for the Brazilian, there’s the chance to become an instant “champ-champ” and become the face of the promotion. Defeating Mousasi – who has wins over a who’s who of middleweight and light heavyweight champions on his resumé – would be a real feather in Lima’s cap and would surely catapult him into the pound-for-pound list in the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
If Lima wins, Bellator has a brand new “champ-champ” to market through the year. If Mousasi wins, he’ll get the chance to become a “champ-champ” by dethroning an existing one later in 2020.