Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Not long after Rafael Lovato Jr. was forced to vacate his title, Bellator has set up a big bout with the belt up for grabs.
Bellator has gone back to the welterweight well again to find a challenger for their middleweight title. With Rafael Lovato Jr. vacating his belt due to a rare medical condition, the promotion immediately set up a bout to name a new middleweight champion – and it happens to include their current 170-pound champion.
In May, former middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will fight Douglas Lima, who will look to become the latest champ champ in MMA. Bellator confirmed the bout yesterday, and it will co-headline the San Jose card. Ryan Bader vs. Vadim Nemkov for the light heavyweight title will headline.
Mousasi (46-7-2, 4-1 Bellator) is coming off a split decision win over Lyoto Machida in his last bout. He defeated the last 170-pound champ to try to earn a second belt, Rory MacDonald, last year before dropping the title to Lovato.
Lima (32-7, 14-3 Bellator), a three-time welterweight champion, is coming off a win over MacDonald where he got his belt back and won the Bellator welterweight grand prix in the process.
Bellator 242 goes down in the SAP Center in San Jose on May 9th, and will air on Paramount TV and DAZN.