Tonight one of the more anticipated matchups of the year took place at Bellator 250. Welterweight champion, Douglas Lima (32-7), was looking to become a two-division world champion. Standing in his way was former Bellator middleweight champion, Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2).
Lima entered the Bellator cage on a three fight winning streak. He was 6-1 in his last seven fights, but he’s already avenged the one loss he had in the span. Lima is widely considered to be one of the best fighters that Bellator has to offer.
There haven’t been many fighters who have been as consistently good over a long period of time as Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi was a champion in every major organization he’s competed in except for the UFC. He was already the Bellator middleweight champion.
Mousasi lost his crown to Rafael Lovato back at Bellator 223. However, due to some medical issues outside the cage, Lovato retired and vacated the middleweight crown. That is how we arrived at Bellator 250 with Lima looking to become a two-division champ.
Bellator 250 Main Event Recap
As the Bellator 250 main event kicked off, Mousasi plotted forward to try to close the distance on Lima. Lima fired off a couple of powerful leg kicks which caused Mousasi to shoot in for a takedown. After defending well at first, Lima was taken down and gave up his back.
Lima was able to work his way back up to his feet, but Mousasi dragged him back down. Lima forced a scramble, but Mousasi ended up in his guard. Mousasi did a fantastic job of landing shots from the top position as the first round came to a close.
As the second round opened, the Bellator welterweight champion looked a little gun shy. Mousasi plotted forward again closing the distance on Lima. Lima appeared to be trying to time Mousasi’s attack while his back was against the cage.
In the second, every time Mousasi pressed forward, Lima was going a good job of landing shots. With 90 seconds left in the round, Mousasi shot in for another takedown. However, Lima did a fantastic job of keeping the fight standing. Much better second round for the Bellator welterweight champion.
The third round again started with Mousasi plotting forward. Lima landed a really nice leg kick, but he wasn’t throwing very much. Mousasi plotted forward throwing straight punches, but nothing was really landing in the third.
Halfway through the round, Lima pushed forward with a big combination. However, as soon as he landed it, he went back to not throwing much. Mousasi continued to press forward the rest of the round throwing feeler shots. With the overall output and pressure, Mousasi was up three rounds.
Championship Rounds
The fourth round opened with Mousasi shooting in for a takedown. Mousasi was able to spin to Lima’s back and push him against the fence. He slammed the Bellator welterweight champion to the ground, but Lima was able to get back up.
After the two fighters broke, Lima landed a really nice leg kick. However, Mousasi didn’t seem phased by the kick. Mousasi just continued to plot forward. Lima landed a couple of additional hard leg kicks that caused Mousasi to switch his stance. A very close round that could have gone either way.
The final round opened with both men standing in the center of the cage. Lima landed a really hard leg kick to get the striking started. The leg kicks seemed to be taking a tole on Mousasi in the fifth as he wasn’t moving forward like he was in the previous rounds.
Lima started landing some good shots as he was backing Mousasi up. Instead of throwing one or two shots, Lima was finally starting to put together combinations on Mousasi. Mousasi was not throwing much at all in the fifth round.
Mousasi was able to catch a leg kick with 90 seconds left in the round and take Lima down. Lima looked extremely frustrated after he was taken to the ground. Mousasi wasn’t attacking much from the top, but he did a good job of holding control. Despite the takedown, I give the final round the Bellator welterweight champion.
It wasn’t the most exciting fight in the world, but it was extremely tactical. A couple of rounds were close, but I had Mousasi winning this one 48-47. The judges agreed and Gegard Mousasi is the new Bellator middleweight champion.
Gegard Mousasi def. Douglas Lima by Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)