Report: Mousasi to defend middleweight title against Salter

Gegard Mousasi weighing in for his fight with Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 185 | Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Gegard Mousasi’s next title defense will come against John Salter at Bellator 26…


Gegard Mousasi weighing in for his fight with Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 185
Gegard Mousasi weighing in for his fight with Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 185 | Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Gegard Mousasi’s next title defense will come against John Salter at Bellator 264.

Gegard Mousasi is set to defend his Bellator middleweight title against the division’s #1 ranked contender John Salter this August.

MMA Junkie first reported the fight announcement. Bellator 264 is expected to take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on August 13th.

Mousasi (47-7-2) recaptured the Bellator middleweight belt against Douglas Lima last October at Bellator 250. ‘The Dreamcatcher’ lost his title against Rafael Lovato Jr. after successfully defending it twice against Rory MacDonald and Rafael Carvalho. Since leaving the UFC in 2017 for Bellator, Mousasi has won five fights in the promotion and only lost once.

Salter (18-4) is currently on a three-fight winning streak with two of those wins coming by submission. Much like Mousasi, the 36-year-old Salter has only recently tasted defeat to Lovato Jr. Other than that loss Salter has not been defeated since 2012, winning ten of his last eleven fights. Salter’s fight with Mousasi will mark the first time he has competed for a title whilst under the Bellator banner.

No other fights have yet been announced for Bellator 264.