Bellator MMA London: Mousasi vs. Lovato Jr. Live Coverage And Discussion

Welcome to Fightful’s live coverage of Bellator 223 taking place at The SSE Arena at Wembley in London, England. In the main event, Gegard Mousasi defends his Bellator middleweight title for the first time this year when he takes on unbeaten rising star Rafael Lovato Jr. 

We will bring you quick results of the entire main card as well as round-by-round coverage of the main event. You can join in the discussion below on our Disqus board:

Below is the main card (4 p.m. ET/Bellator MMA App):

• Rafael Lovato Jr. defeated Gegard Mousasi by majority decision (47-47, 48-47, 48-47) to win the Bellator MMA Middleweight Title
• Melvin Manhoef defeated Kent Kauppinen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Aaron Chalmers defeated Fred Freeman by submission (triangle choke), round 2, 4:05
• Paul Daley defeated Erick Silva by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
• James Gallagher defeated Jeremiah Labiano by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMS

• Denise Kielholtz def Bryony Tyrell via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:48
• Charlie Leary def. Chris Bungard via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)
• Kate Jackson def. Lena Ovchynnikova via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 1, 4:20
• Terry Brazier def. Alessandro Botti via submission (Americana) – Round 3, 2:17
• Luke Ord def Nathan Rose via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-25)
• Alfie Davis def. Jorge Kanella via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
• Justin Burlinson def. Wendle Lewis via verbal submission (injury) – Round 1, 0:09
• Galore Bofando def Keith McCabe via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Kevin Fryer def. John Redmond via split decision (29-28, 28-29 29-28)
• Frans Mlambo def. Nathan Greyson via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 4:22
• Oliver Enkamp def. Walter Gahadza via submission (rear-naked choke)  – Round 1, 4:54

Gegard Mousasi (c) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr.: Bellator Middleweight Championship:

Round 1: Lovato opens up with a leg kick and then a double jab upstairs. Lovato goes for a front kick high and barely connects. Mousasi throws a jab and then Lovato goes for a jumping knee and Mousasi catches him up close. The two clinch up against the cage with Lovato driving Mousasi into the cage. Both men exchange short knees to the midsection before separating. Lovato goes for a takedown and gets it. Both men wrestle on the ground but Lovato passes the guard and is looking for a submission. Lovato fails a submission attempt but then lands a hard punch followed by a couple of elbows.

Fightful scored round 1 for Lovato 10-9

Round 2: Lovato starts off by going for a jumping kick that Mousasi blocks. Lovato goes for another takedown and drives Mousasi on the ground up against the fence. Lovato throws a couple of punches on the ground. Both men get back up and Lovato goes for another takedown but Mousasi manages take Lovato down with him. Mousasi tries to get Lovato in a half nelson for a moment as both try to wrestle for control. Both men get back up and clinch once more up against the cage. Mousasi lands a couple of strikes to Lovato’s ribs. Mousasi throws a 1-2 combination and Lovato throws another leg kick. 

Fightful scored round 2 for Lovato 10-9

Round 3: Lovato throws a jab while Mousasi goes for another 1-2 combination. Lovato drives Mousasi to the cage once again and later to the ground. Lovato throws a couple of punches and is in a butterfly hook, but was able to pass the guard again. Mousasi avoids a forearm strike but Lovato then tries to go for a triangle, but Mousasi defends well and is now on top. Mousasi throws a quick left hook to Lovato, causing a cut on Lovato’s left eye. Mousasi is now trying to go for some ground-and-pound offense and connects with a big right hand. Mousasi abandons his attempt to finish the fight with seconds remaining to get some rest.

Fightful scored round 3 for Mousasi 10-9

Round 4: Mousasi throws a leg kick and lands a 1-2 punch combination upstairs. Mousasi starts outstriking Lovato and is stuffing Lovato’s takedown attempts. Mousasi catches a kick from Lovato and connects with several more strikes. Lovato is now stepping back and is not as aggressive as he was in the first two rounds. Mousasi drops Lovato with a right uppercut and tries to attack him on the ground, but Lovato was able to connect with a couple of elbows and is able to get back up. Lovato misses with a front kick and then a left jab.

Fightful scored round 4 for Mousasi 10-9

Round 5: The opening seconds of the final round has both men go for multiple strikes, but Lovato eventually gets another takedown on Mousasi. With his back up against the cage, Mousasi was able to land another left hook to the side of Lovato’s head. Lovato is desperately trying to go for multiple submissions, but Mousasi was able to effectively defend well on the ground. The rest of the fight sees both men on the ground with Lovato looking to get either a submission attempt or some ground-and-pound offense.

Fightful scored round 5 for Lovato 10-9, making it 48-47 for Lovato

Official Result: Rafael Lovato Jr. defeated Gegard Mousasi by majority decision (47-47, 48-47, 48-47) to win the Bellator MMA Middleweight Title