When Bellator returned to action after a five-month hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many wondered about the biggest fights the promotion booked prior to the shutdown.
Chief among them? The highly anticipated showdown between Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima for the vacant middleweight championship.
Mousasi, a former 185-pound champ, was scheduled to fight welterweight champ Lima in May at what was to be Bellator 242, but COVID-19 put an end to those plans.
On Friday night, Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed the fight had hit a roadblock but is now in the clear to be rebooked.
“The good news is we were able to obtain a proper visa for Gegard and his team to come into the U.S.,” Coker said during the Bellator 244 post-fight news conference at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. “So you’ll see that fight probably here at the Mohegan Sun before the end of the year.”
Bellator’s middleweight belt became available after then-champ Rafael Lovato Jr., who beat Mousasi to claim the gold, was forced to vacate because of a brain condition.
Mousasi, victorious in nine of his last 10 fights, got back in the win column last September when he defeated Lyoto Machida by split decision.
Lima, meanwhile, is looking to add another belt to his collection after he won the promotion’s welterweight grand prix. Lima claimed the 170-pound title by defeating Andrey Koreshkov, Michael Page and then Rory MacDonald in the tournament final for his third reign as champ.
