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Champ Gegard Mousasi defends middleweight title against Rafael Lovato Jr in London on June 22

Nottingham’s Paul Daley and Ireland’s James Gallagher also join main card at The SSE Arena, Wembley Leading mixed martial arts promotion Bellator MMA today revealed it will be returning to The SSE Arena, Wembley in London on Saturday, June 22, with a blockbuster middleweight title fight headlining the card. Bellator London: Mousasi vs. Lovato Jr. will see MMA legend and current Bellator middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) defend his title, as he takes on undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0) in front of a raucous crowd in the English capital. Joining them on the card is British bad boy Paul “Semtex” Daley (40-17-2) and Irish prodigy James “The Strabanimal” Gallagher (8-1) looking to continue his rapid rise in the sport, who both take on opponents to be named at a future date. Further bouts and broadcast details are expected to be announced in the coming days. Tickets to Bellator London: Mousasi vs. Lovato Jr. go on sale next week and can be purchased online from axs.com/uk and Bellator.com. Current Bellator middleweight champion Mousasi, who fights out of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, has cemented legendary status within the sport, having won titles with multiple promotions across a 53-fight career. Mousasi is riding high on an eight-fight winning streak, which has seen the 33-year-old win all three of his fights since joining Bellator in 2017. Having successfully defended his middleweight belt against Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 in September, Mousasi will return to the scene of his first title triumph, fighting at The SSE Arena, Wembley, 13 months after being crowned the 185-lb. king. Hoping to end Mousasi’s championship reign is the undefeated Oklahoma jiu-jitsu champion Rafael Lovato Jr. The 35-year-old has won all nine of his professional MMA bouts to date and knows that protecting his unbeaten record will see the belt change from Mousasi’s hands to his. Lovato Jr. has racked up five fights under the Bellator banner since making his debut in 2017 and is no stranger to a title fight, having won and defended the LFC middleweight belt before his move to Bellator. Prior to his MMA career, Lovato Jr. experienced an incredibly successful career in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, becoming just the second American to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship as a black belt. Fans can expect an electric clash to decide whether or not Lovato Jr. adds further honours to his trophy cabinet. The veteran headliners will be preceded by one of the rising stars of the sport, SBG Dublin-fighter James Gallagher. The immensely popular Irishman has won fans from across the globe during his nine-fight professional career and recovered from his first setback in impressive fashion, submitting Steven Graham in the first round of his last fight, which took place in the main event of Bellator Dublin in February of this year. His return to the cage is certain to excite fans, with his opponent in London to be announced soon. Additionally, Nottingham’s Daley returns to British soil with plans to entertain the London crowd once again. One of the U.K.’s most prolific strikers, “Semtex” looks to rebound from a razor-thin decision loss to Michael Page earlier this year and get back to his winning ways with a highlight reel-finish. With 30 of his wins coming by knockout, and victories over Lorenz Larkin, Brennan Ward and Jorge Masvidal, anything can happen when Daley steps inside the Bellator cage. With a sell-out crowd expected on the night, Bellator London: Mousasi vs. Lovato Jr. promises to be an unforgettable night of MMA action for fans. Further bout announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

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Gegard Mousasi Defends Middleweight Championship Against Rafael Lovato Jr. at Bellator 214

The co-main event of Bellator’s return to the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Jan. 26 will see reigning middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) defend his title against undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0). The main event of the card will feature the Finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where the greatest heavyweight of all-time Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1 NC) faces current light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader (26-5) for the Bellator world heavyweight title. A recently added featherweight bout will pit super-prospect Aaron Pico (4-1) against the always-tough Henry Corrales (16-3). Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader are on sale now and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and will be simulcast live on DAZN. Preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Fighting out of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, Gegard Mousasi will be looking to follow-up his decisive TKO victory over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 in what will be his second title defence since becoming champion earlier this year. “The Dreamcatcher” is currently in the midst of an impressive eight-fight win streak that dates back to 2016. The 33-year-old judo black belt has dominated the stacked middleweight class since signing with Bellator in 2017, collecting three victories in as many bouts, including a pair of knockouts against Rafael Carvalho and MacDonald in both of his world title fights. The former Strikeforce champion, who debuted in impressive fashion against Alexander Shlemenko, now looks to extend his current win streak and defend the middleweight belt for the second time in just five months. Rafael Lovato Jr. will be making his sixth appearance for Bellator, a bout where not only will the 35-year-old’s unblemished mark of 9-0 be on the line, but also a world championship belt. Since signing with the Viacom-owned promotion in 2017, the Oklahoma City-based fighter has tallied five wins and four finishes, three of which came in the opening round, including his most recent submission win over top middleweight contender John Salter at Bellator 205. A fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the former Legacy FC middleweight champ will finally have his shot at Bellator gold when he takes on current 185-pound champion Mousasi in the co-main event of Bellator’s return to Los Angeles on Jan. 26. Updated Bellator: Fedor vs. Bader Fight Card: Heavyweight World Grand Prix Finals Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1 NC) vs. Ryan Bader (26-5) Middleweight World Title Bout: Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0) Featherweight Feature Bout: Aaron Pico (4-1) vs. Henry Corrales (16-3) Updated Preliminary Card: Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Segura (9-6) vs. Richard Leroy (7-1) Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jorge Juarez (3-0) vs. David Pacheco (Pro Debut)

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