Gegard Mousasi | Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Bellator MMA
Fighters are scheduled to start chatting today at 1:30 p.m. ET from inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bellator 250: “Lima vs. Mousasi” takes place this week (Thurs., Oct. 29, 2020) at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The vacant Middleweight title goes to the winner of the main event between Douglas Lima (32-7) and Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2).
The fighters are scheduled to participate in what the promotion is calling a “Virtual Media Day” this afternoon (Tues., Oct. 27, 2020), starting at 1:30 p.m. ET in the video player above.
Expected participants include:
Douglas Lima (1:30 p.m.) – Bellator Welterweight/Middleweight
Nick Newell (1:45 p.m.) – Bellator Lightweight
Ty Gwerder (2:00 p.m.) – Bellator Middleweight
Desiree Yanez (2:15 p.m.) – Bellator Flyweight
Henry Corrales (2:30 p.m.) – Bellator Featherweight
Veta Arteaga (2:45 p.m.) – Bellator Flyweight
Gegard Mousasi (3:00 p.m.) – Bellator Middleweight
Brandon Girtz (3:15 p.m.) – Bellator Featherweight/Lightweight
Dalton Rosta (3:30 p.m.) – Bellator Middleweight
Jake Hager (3:45 p.m.) – Bellator Heavyweight
Selected news and memorable quotes from the participants will be available below.
Douglas Lima: “(I) fight contenders. I’m here to fight contenders. If he (MVP) wants to fight me, go fight a guy that’s in line for a title shot. No disrespect to him but if you want the fight you got to fight guys that get you there. Every time I lost the belt I fought the guy who was No. 1 next in line for it. If Bellator says you’re ready (though) I’m here.”
Lima: “I think there’s a lot more fights me to do there (at 170) but let’s see how it feels on Thursday night. I usually walk around at 200. Middleweight it’s only 15 pounds, Welterweight I suffer a little bit more, but my goal is to win both defend both (and) stay busy. I feel healthy, I feel good.”
Lima: “Mousasi’s a complete fighter. He’s a good striker, a good wrestler, good on the ground. He’s gonna be ready to fight everywhere, same as me. I paid my dues in the gym, I’m ready to fight him. He’s probably going to be a little bit bigger than me but it is what it is. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the reward. I know it’s a tough challenge, that’s why I wanted this type of fight. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Lima: “There’s a lot of good guys, ex-UFC fighters, guys who have been on top there so everybody knows we have a deep division (at 170) and we can compete with everybody in the world.”
Lima: “He said it himself, Mousasi wants to wrestle me, put more weight on top of me. I prepared for the wrestling, ready for the striking, and I’m ready for everything. I’m sure he’s going to try fight his fight on every aspect, mix everything up, and we’re ready for it.”
Lima: “It will definitely be harder (after this) to make Welterweight but it’s been hard my whole career. But it’s my job, I always do it. Maybe I add three or four pounds during training camp but I didn’t get that much bigger. Give me eight weeks and I can make 170. Give me Middleweight and I can do it much sooner. This is a perfect fight for me to see where I stand in power at Middleweight.”
Lima: “I definitely want my name on the pound for pound (greatest) list after this win. It’s a legacy fight, it’s a super fight. I’ve got wins against good guys and I definitely think I belong in the pound for pound list but I’ve got to prove it Thursday night.”
Lima: “I gotta be on top of my game in this fight. Gotta be ready at all times, and so does he. It’s a dangerous fight for both of us. I just gotta be ready, and I feel like that. I did everything that I could and I feel good about it. I feel good about this fight. I can’t wait to perform against him on Thursday night.”
Nick Newell: “If you look at my record, I usually always finish the fight. 16 wins I have 13 first round finishes. I thought I had a 10-8 first round the last time but the judges didn’t. I’m going to fight smart, technical and good. Set my traps and look for the finish. I know Zach’s a little spitfire of energy, he’s aggressive, and that feeds into my style. I’m excited for this.”
Newell: “Most fights do (hit the floor). I think once it hits the ground, I’m very confident. I can stop his takedowns, he can’t stop mine. There wasn’t a lot of places to train this quarantine, so I took the best wrestlers I could find and was like ‘Hey you guys need a place to train?’ I trained with them. You’ve got to keep the blade sharp.”
Newell: “Bellator’s the best. I know that’s what I’m supposed to say but they’ve treated me very well. Hopefully I’m here until I decide to retire. I really am happy where I am and everything happens for a reason.”
Newell: “That time I took off to heal myself and these injuries was crucial. I don’t have as many miles on me as I think, and I’ve been doing this a long time, but I feel like I can hang with the best guys in the world. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it was a possibility that I can compete with them.”
Newell: “It sucks that I couldn’t operate (my gym) for so long but my students are ride or die. I’m making the best out of the situation for sure. When this all started my wife had just barely found out she was pregnant and we just had our second child. She’s a speech pathologist so she’s been able to do all her work on Zoom and help to hold us up, and Bellator paid me for the last (canceled) fight. We got a minivan from it which was dope.”
Ty Gwerder: “Aw man I’m stoked to be back. I couldn’t have asked for a quicker turnaround. I was fortunate that I put on a show and they asked me to come back right away. Being that I asked for it I wasn’t about to turn it down.”
Gwerder: “I’m a strong believer that if I lead the dance, I’m going to win the fight. He’s the strongest and most explosive guy that’s been in front of me, but coming down to 185 he shows that weight cut. He gets tired quick and I think I’ll use that to my advantage.”
Gwerder: “For me I think (quarantine) is a good thing. I don’t really do much fight week. I have that football mentality — two days or a day before the game, I don’t do anything. I like to get my last hard day literally seven days before the fight. I could use as much recovery as possible leading up (to the fight).”
Gwerder: “Putting me at 2-1 (with a win) that would give me a little pull to make some noise. I still don’t feel like I’ve earned my stripes but if I can put on a show and make it exciting I can start asking for fights when I want it.”
Gwerder: “If I do get a decision win I’m going to be very upset. I want to be a show fighter and win very quickly.”
Desiree Yanez: “I’m here (in Bellator) doing bigger and better things. What more can I ask for? That loss (in Combate Americas) sucked but here I am. Man I don’t even feel like I’m about to cut weight. It doesn’t even feel like I’m about to go fight. I just get to go have fun. I haven’t even worried about my weight (this camp). I don’t know how I ever made it to 115.”
Yanez: “Combate was doing the best they could to try to get me going again, but COVID tests were through the roof in a bunch of different states, so they just made the decision to not go on with fights. I thought I wasn’t even going to fight this year. My coaches came through and I’m just super honored to be here.”
Yanez: “I was just enjoying it (the quarantine) a little bit. It’s kind of nice just being there quiet watching shows and just being goofy with me.”
Yanez: “I’m going to go out there and put on a show. Me and Veta are going to have one of the fights of the night — and we’re chicks so we’re so competitive.”
Yanez: “I cried (when I learned I had this fight). I’ve had so many fights fall out and cancel and all this stuff. My managers pulled through and got me in this amazing promotion and this is where I wanted to end up anyway. It’s really really honoring.”
Yanez: “I want to be able to spell my name when I’m 50 — I don’t want to be hit a thousand times in the face like that.”
Yanez: “I watch a lot of promotions, a lot of fights, and I see how Bellator fighters talk and that they get to have sponsors. At the end of the day it’s about money but for me it’s also about being comfortable. It’s a very close knit family, they don’t favor anybody, and they’re just so helpful. I have friends who fight here so I just wanted to go that way.”
Henry Corrales: “I feel great man. (Girtz) is a match up I’m looking forward to. He’s a real fighter, he brings it. The last guy that wasn’t the case. I gave chase and he ran. I don’t like the way he carried himself after that fight, climbing the cage and acting like he won. He ran like a little girl. The crowd booed, justifiably so, and he flipped off the crowd. It didn’t sit well with me.”
Corrales: “I’ve been to jail a couple of times or two back in the day so (quarantine) a day or two in a room with room service, it’s all good.”
Corrales: “This is why I started fighting, to fight guys like this. I just want to fight.”
Corrales: “(Girtz) could carry his strength down with him (to 145) or he could not. Either way. It’s not something I’ve thought about.”
Corrales: “There is a little monkey on my back. I take pride in being a fighter, an action fighter, so I’m really looking forward to getting that one back (from Archuleta).”
Veta Arteaga: “I’m honored to be on the main card. Seeing all the fights when I saw the fight card, we made it to the main card, that’s awesome.”
Arteaga: “I’m not going to lie and say I won’t be aggressive in the fight, but I’m going to be very patient and looks for things. I’m more than ready for this fight, I know what I’m capable of. I know my own ability so I’ve just gotta go out there and do it. Getting a win on Thursday night is going to feel great, it’s going to feel amazing.”
Arteaga: “Yes, I do (feel we’re the best). We have a lot of great Flyweight female fighters.”
Arteaga: “Whatever Bellator wants. One fight at a time. If Bellator wants me to have a rematch, whatever’s going to get me to the top and get another title shot is what I want.”
Arteaga: “We have amazing coaches at SBG Idaho. I’m coachable with everybody but this time I wanted to use all of my coaches. I was working with coach Daniel after my last fight and he’s a boxing coach. I definitely added more coaches into this camp.”
Gegard Mousasi: “(Lima) is a little bigger, his stand up is a little bit better (than MacDonald), he has a whole year to grow in his frame. I think his confidence is very high. His mental is the most dangerous thing about him, but I’m well prepared. I’m a little bit worried but that’s good, it keeps me sharp.”
Mousasi: “I think after this fight Lister is next. I don’t have the desire to be double champ (by fighting Nemkov), it’s not a goal of mine, but it would be nice to finish (my career) after two or three more. I’d be open to it.”
Mousasi: “At this stage of my career, to fight in front of my home crowd, that would be one of my goals to be honest.”
Mousasi: “I think I’ve showed that I can beat anybody when I show up. For me I don’t even go there (comparing to UFC) it’s not realistic because I’m not going to fight there any time soon, so I don’t compared myself to the UFC champion. Lima is a great opponent so that’s who I’m focusing on.”
Mousasi: “At this moment I feel great. In training I was better than ever, stronger physically and mentally. If I win/lose, win/lose, that’s a sign you aren’t what you think you are, but I think I’ve lost one in the last 10-11. I’m not going to continue until 40 though that’s for sure.”
Mousasi: “(Lima) is definitely one of the toughest. I’m facing Douglas Lima in his prime. Sometimes you finish a tough guy in two rounds and sometimes an unknown guy can give you the toughest fight, so we’ll see what he brings.”
Mousasi: “A win over Anderson (Silva) goes in the history books but unfortunately it never happened. I don’t have any regrets not fighting him though. I never thought of it like that.”
Brandon Girtz: “I feel great (at 145). I’m no stranger to cutting weight. I wrestled for years, that’s what I did. It’s a process I’m used to. It’s sacrifice and dedication. I’ve got to be on point on everything right now. It’s good. It gives me a little edge.”
Girtz: “I love it. This is actually the fight I asked for. We looked at the roster, I said ‘Who is the toughest grittiest guy at 145?’ This is who they came up with. I was looking for a guy who wanted to come forward as much as me.”
Girtz: “I wouldn’t say (I’m done at 155). I don’t close my doors on anything. Right now 45 is where I want to stay. I ain’t killing myself. I’m 52.5 right now. It’s been clean eating, cardio, and I’ve been loving it. There’s been no hate about it.”
Girtz: “I still have aspirations to go over to Ireland and fight in front of an Irish crowd so that door is definitely cracked open.”
Girtz: “It changes it up a little bit. I do look at them as little guys. Usually these guys are bigger. Most of the time I’d step in the cage 162 and guys (I’d face) were way above that. For once I’m going to be the bigger heavier guy out there.”
Girtz: “I’m going to crack this guy. You’re going to here it, and I’m going to here it. I don’t need the crowd. I’m about this life. Do I need it to be fired up and take this man out? Absolutely not.”
Dalton Rosta: “The key is sticking to my game plan, pressuring (Ty). He doesn’t have great wrestling. It’s going to be easy to change things up, keep him guessing. I don’t see it lasting longer than the second round at the latest. We don’t get paid by the round. The earlier, the better.”
Rosta: “One thing’s guaranteed — the fight’s not going to the judges. A lot of people might think he might win, he’s got more experience, a lot of people might think me, but I’m going to come home with the win and it’ll be a devastating finish. I promise you that.”
Rosta: “He (Dillon Danis) calls a lot of guys out, so I wanted to be on the other side of that. If he was anything like his dad Conor McGregor, he’d come up to 185. He’s not going to come up and back the talk that he talks. I just wanted to take the first step in exposing him as the lousy B league fighter that he is.”
Rosta: “On the ground I’d cut (Danis) up. If he wants to go no gi jiu-jitsu, any time. If he wants to go gi, we can save the pajamas for little girls.”
Jake Hager: “This isn’t my last fight. We signed for a six fight deal.”
Hager: “This last year with AEW I consider the best year of my career, being able to win two fights with Bellator, then sign with them, the ratings we’ve had and Stadium Stampede, I have a unique window where I can capitalize on something special. We were scheduled for May 9th but the whole pandemic happened and Bellator has been amazing about giving me great opportunities.”
Hager: “This is sanctioned violence, but it needs to be controlled, controlled chaos. A lot of it needs to be instinct so you’re ahead of the charge and leading it in there. I was upset (at the no contest) but it is what it is, a lesson learned.”
Hager: “We film twice a week with AEW, every other week, so I have 10 days off. So I really consider the filming days with AEW as my rest days, and then once I’m home on a Thursday or Friday I already have practices scheduled, then I’ll fly out on Tuesday to go film. They’ve done a great job to compliment their schedule with mine and get the time to work out.”
Hager: “Not only do I need to thank Chris Jericho but the entire wrestling world needs to buy him a steak dinner. I always said in WWE that it would take one unselfish top guy to change the landscape, and Jericho is that one unselfish top guy. It’s such an honor to be able to work with him. The last year is some of the greatest work he’s done. Did WWE misuse me? Yeah, but all I can do is smile and move forward, and when you’re winning that’s not difficult at all. It’s time to move on and smile because life is short.”
Hager: “I really hope there is change (in pro wrestling). If I was a politician I’d definitely go across the aisle and talk to these people. Andrew Yang is an up-and-comer, I really hope he can create change, but I also wish he was a Republican.”
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