Main event favourite Gegard Mousasi today revealed a personal vendetta against Rafael Lovato Jr on the eve of their Bellator middleweight title fight, insisting that he will school the American at Wembley Arena tonight.
Vastly experienced Mousasi, who defends his title for the second time against the unbeaten Lovato, will look to keep the fight standing and should out-point or even stop the Jiu-Jitsu ace if the fight goes to the form book.
Lovato will be looking to take the fight to the ground where he may have advantages, Mousasi though tends to make very few mistakes and is a clear favourite going into this contest and a vastly experienced operator. Mousasi insisted he “is unhappy” at having been around Lovato this week in London, and “does not like” the look of his opponent.
Elsewhere, Irish star James Gallagher has put the heat on Jeremiah Labiano saying that he will submit the American as he makes much noise about his ongoing career with the fight league. It should be a fantastic contest tonight and much closer than many people believe with Gallagher ultra confident as always.
Popular British striker Paul Daley meets Erick Silva in what ought to be a thrilling contest with both men very heavy-handed, though Silva enjoys advantages on the ground. “He won’t get to that point and enjoy those advantages,” Daley told The Telegraph. “As soon as my hands touch him he’s going to know he’s in a fight and in over his head. He’s going to shoot for the takedown and he will get knocked out in this fight.”
Melvin Manhoef, the brilliant, indeed legendary kickboxer from Holland makes his 100th appearance in professional fighting when he meets Kent Kauppinen, also a very aggressive stand-up fighter, in what ought to be the fight of the night while British former reality TV star Aaron Chalmers makes his sixth professional appearance against Fred Freeman, looking to bounce back from his first career loss in February, in his native Newcastle.
Meanwhile, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker has pledged that next year the organisation will be looking to double its efforts with events in Europe, as the 223/London card – shown on both Sky Sports and Channel 5 in the UK tonight – has a line up of names and up-and-coming fighters in its 38 protagonists creating one of the most powerful mixed martial arts fight cards ever seen in this country.