Bellator dropped some big news Tuesday with the announcement of a championship doubleheader at their May 9 show in San Jose.
The main event will feature promotional “champ-champ” Ryan Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), who puts his light heavyweight title on the line against surging contender Vadim Nemkov (11-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) as he bids to maintain his position as a simultaneous two-division champion. But it’s the announcement of the co-main event that has really caught the imagination, with reigning welterweight king and grand prix victor Douglas Lima (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) stepping up to 185 pounds to take on former middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) for the newly-vacated title.
The event represents Bellator’s biggest statement of 2020, as they stack the deck for arguably their most important card of the year so far. Here are four key reasons why the event is so important for the promotion:
It gives Bellator the chance to compete head to head with the UFC
When the sad news of Rafael Lovato Jr.’s brain condition was announced, his decision to relinquish the middleweight title was an unfortunate inevitability. But the recently-crowned champ did so with class, stepping down as champion to allow the division to move on. With such a blockbuster matchup waiting to be booked, Lovato’s decision not to sit on the belt any longer than necessary meant the organization could stack the deck for their May event, which will go head-to-head with UFC 250 in Brazil.
The UFC card for Sao Paulo is expected to feature a bantamweight title clash between champ Henry Cejudo and former titleholder Jose Aldo, but the presence of Bellator’s in-form Brazilian champion Lima would offer an interesting wrinkle to the direct comparisons between the two fight cards. The booking of two title fights, featuring three well-known names to U.S. fans plus a dangerous Russian contender, means Bellator will head into that weekend thinking they have a real chance to compete head-to-head with the UFC and come out on top.
Until the full fight cards are confirmed by the two promotions, it’s tough to compare the events side-by-side on star power, but one area where Bellator may hold the advantage is in their broadcast setup. UFC 250 will be an ESPN+ pay-per-view event, while Bellator’s show will simultaneously air on Paramount and stream live on DAZN, a platform for which regular MMA watchers will likely already have a subscription.
If it comes down to a straight choice, a solid event that airs on cable and streams on a service has already been paid for could end up getting the nod over the additional expense of a pay-per-view event in Brazil, especially considering the names already confirmed at the top of the card.
It keeps one of Bellator’s most exciting stars active
If you’re rating Bellator’s top fighters in terms of their out-and-out excitement factor when they compete, Lima might just be at the top of the list.
“The Phenom’s” ability to finish fights in the blink of an eye, often in spectacular fashion, has led to him becoming one of the biggest fan-favorites on the Bellator roster. He cemented that status with his performance in the welterweight grand prix, where he took out former champion Andrey Koreshkov, starched Michael Page, and outgunned then-champion Rory MacDonald to prove that he was not just the undisputed No. 1 welterweight in Bellator, but also that he had a legitimate argument for being the top 170-pounder on the planet.
With the welterweight division still settling back into a regular routine after the tournament’s conclusion, it makes sense for Lima to step up and face a challenge outside of his weight class while the next title challenger emerges. The chance for him to elevate his status and become a two-division champion just adds a little more stardust to the storyline.
It gives Mousasi the chance to reclaim his old title
I was cageside in London when Mousasi lost his title to Lovato via majority decision at Bellator 223, and it’s fair to say he was livid after the fight. The usually understated Dutchman took aim at Lovato, accusing him of using performance-enhancing drugs, and vowed to “kill him” in a rematch, stating that if he didn’t knock out the American grappling ace, he wouldn’t count it as a victory.
A rematch between the pair seemed inevitable, but news of Lovato’s brain issues and subsequent hiatus put a hold on those plans. But Mousasi will still battle for the title in a bout that may well interest him more than the original matchup. Prior to losing the middleweight belt, Mousasi told me he was considering either moving up to challenge Bader for the light heavyweight title or moving down to challenge the winner of the welterweight tournament for the 170-pound strap.
Now Lima is moving up, and Mousasi will get one of the matchups he was mulling over prior to his title loss, with the added bonus of a likely “champ-champ” opportunity against the light heavyweight winner later in the year.
Speaking of which…
It sets up a brand new ‘champ-champ’ storyline
Whichever way the matchup pans out, Bellator will be left with a compelling “champ-champ” angle to pursue through the second half of the year.
For Mousasi, the prospect of moving up to 205 pounds to fight for the title has always appealed and would surely become a reality with a win over Lima. But for the Brazilian, there’s the chance to become an instant “champ-champ” and become the face of the promotion. Defeating Mousasi – who has wins over a who’s who of middleweight and light heavyweight champions on his resumé – would be a real feather in Lima’s cap and would surely catapult him into the pound-for-pound list in the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
If Lima wins, Bellator has a brand new “champ-champ” to market through the year. If Mousasi wins, he’ll get the chance to become a “champ-champ” by dethroning an existing one later in 2020.
