Rafael Lovato Jr. Expecting Immediate Rematch With Gegard Mousasi
Most expect Mousasi to get an immediate rematch against Lovato Jr. and that is something the new champion is already expecting.
“If that’s what they want to do, I can’t blame them,” Lovato Jr. said after the event (via Steven Marrocco & Abbey Subhan of MMA Junkie). “It was an extremely close fight, and it is Mousasi. It was a seven-month training camp. I grinded so hard this year. … I’m off to Spain with my love, and it’s time to sit by the pool.”
There has been no word yet from Bellator officials as to what the plans are for their new middleweight champion.
Lovato Jr. has one goal at the moment and that is to hold the middleweight strap for as long as possible.
“Right now, the mission is to keep this thing over my shoulder and around my waist for as long as possible, and for sure, this is how I’m riding out into the sunset,” he said. “We’ve worked our whole lives for this, and I want to keep enjoying the moment and taking the momentum even further. But this will be how I end my professional career.”
Mousasi was defending the gold for the first time at the event, defeating Rory MacDonald to win it earlier late last year at Bellator 206.
