Douglas Lima will have the chance to become the third simultaneous two-division champion in Bellator history when he goes for a second belt.
After Rafael Lovato Jr. was forced to relinquish the middleweight title due to ongoing medical issues, current welterweight champ Lima will move up to fight for the vacant belt against Gegard Mousasi.
The title bout between Lima (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) and Mousasi (46-7-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) will co-headline Bellator’s May 9 card in San Jose, Calif., which airs on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Lima, who claimed the Bellator welterweight title for the third time in October when he beat Rory MacDonald to win the promotion’s 170-pound grand prix, has been pushing for new challenges.
The Brazilian told MMA Junkie in Junuary he wanted to move up a weight class and go for a second title, and now he’ll have the opportunity to join heavyweight/light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader and lightweight/featherweight champ Patricio Freire as fighters who rule over two divisions.
Mousasi, meanwhile, will have the chance to reclaim the title he lost to Lovato Jr. The former champ rebounded from the loss by avenging a defeat to Lyoto Machida, and was hoping to get a chance to rematch Lovato Jr. Instead, “The Dreamcatcher” has a date with Lima.
The latest Bellator San Jose lineup now includes:
- Ryan Bader vs. Vadim Nemkov – for light heavyweight title
- Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima – for vacant middleweight title
