The BELLATOR MMA Middleweight World Championship will be up for grabs on Friday, August 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena when current 185-pound titlist Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2) defends his belt against No. 1-ranked John Salter (18-4).
The main card of BELLATOR 263: Mousasi vs. Salter airs live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while the preliminary portion of the event will stream live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV. Additional contests for the event will be announced shortly.
Tickets for the event go on sale next Thursday, July 1 at BELLATOR.com and Ticketmaster.com with a pre-sale taking place on Wednesday, June 30.
Fighting out of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, Mousasi has cemented legendary status within the sport, having won titles with multiple promotions across a 56-fight career. Most recently, Mousasi defeated former BELLATOR Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima, clearing his path to a shot at a second middleweight title run. With victories in his storied career against Lyoto Machida, Rory MacDonald, Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort, Jacare Souza, Dan Henderson and Mark Hunt, the Dutch MMA legend now faces a stiff challenge from John Salter.
North Carolina’s Salter enters his title shot on August 13 riding a three-fight winning streak with victories over Chidi Njokuani, Andrew Kapel and Mousasi’s teammate Costello van Steenis. The 36-year-old boasts a suffocating grappling and wrestling repertoire, ending six of his eight BELLATOR victories via submission. The bout will be Salter’s tenth with the promotion and his first opportunity to capture BELLATOR gold.
BELLATOR MMA 263: Mousasi vs. Salter Main Card:
Friday, August 13 – Live on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Middleweight World Title Main Event: C-Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2) vs. #1-John Salter (18-4)
*Card subject to change.