A second title fight has been added to Bellator’s first event of 2019.
Gegard Mousasi is set to defend his middleweight title for the second time against Rafael Lovato Jr., the promotion announced Monday evening. Mousasi vs. Lovato Jr. will serve as the co-main event of Bellator 214, which takes place Jan. 26 at The Forum in Los Angeles.
Mousasi defended the belt for the first time in September with a dominant second-round TKO over welterweight champion Rory MacDonald. The former UFC contender won the title with a quick stoppage of Rafael Carvalho earlier this year.
Mousasi is 3-0 under the Bellator banner; his run in the Viacom-backed promotion also includes a decision win over former 185-pound champ Alexander Shlemenko last year.
Lovato Jr. is coming off a third-round submission of John Salter in September. The jiu-jitsu ace also holds marquee wins over Gerald Harris and Chris Honeycutt, as well as UFC veteran Mike Rhodes. The 35-year-old is undefeated in MMA at 9-0, which includes a five-fight stretch in Bellator.
Bellator 214 is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between legend Fedor Emelianenko and current light heavyweight titleholder Ryan Bader. The fight marks the Bellator heavyweight grand prix finals. Also scheduled for the card is a featherweight bout between Aaron Pico and Henry Corrales.
The event will go head-to-head with UFC 233, which takes place in Anaheim and features a flyweight title fight between between champ Henry Cejudo and bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw, plus Ben Askren’s UFC debut fight against former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.