G. Mousasi remains Bellator middleweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
MMA veteran, Gegard Mousasi He has once again proven himself to be one of the biggest names in Bellator. In the confrontation against John Salter, held this Friday (13), in Uncasville (USA), the champion showed off his striking and, after a lackluster first round, managed to recover and defeated the challenger in the middleweight title dispute (until 83,9kg.). After controlling his opponent's actions, the athlete achieved victory with a knockout in the third round and maintained his throne.
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No Bellator 264, Mousasi took to the circular cage seeking his first title defense in his second reign in the under-83,9kg category. Showing the experience gained over years in the sport, the athlete overcame adversity and beat one of the most dangerous athletes in the group.
Knocked out at the show, Salter postponed his dream of winning a title in the company. Number one in the ranking, the athlete had a sequence of three victories interrupted.
After the triumph, Gegard was placed face to face with his next challenger. husband of paige vanzant, undefeated Austin vanderford went up to the cage, showed respect to the champion and had a serious face to face with the leader of the group.
The fight
The duel began with Salter taking the initiative with a low kick. Mousasi saved his strikes and tried to surround his opponent around the cage. When he attacked, the champion touched his rival with a sequence of jabs and straight shots. After just over a minute, John went for the legs and managed to put Gegard down. Sitting against the bars, the middleweight leader blocked the challenger and tried to prevent his opponent's transitions. Salter insisted on the position, while Mousasi defended himself. At a disadvantage, Gegard tried to get up, but his rival remained stuck. The champion remained standing, but was restrained by his opponent. John continued to do strength in isometrics, but Gegard dropped knees to the body. The assault ended with the athletes in the clinch.
In the second stage, the athletes started to engage in frank exchanges in the opening seconds. Mousasi relied on striking and tried to hurt the challenger with kicks and punches, which ended up in his opponent's guard. More aggressive, Gegard connected the best attacks. At a disadvantage, Salter flew into the champion's legs and took down his opponent again. In a scene similar to the first stage, the division leader sat, pressed against the fence. Mousasi managed to get to his feet, but John was still clinging to his legs. In the final minute, Gegard managed to explode and reversed the situation. John was on the bottom and received powerful punches from top to bottom. The challenger experiences drama, with Mousasi punishing with elbows and punches. The champion continued to strike, but the challenger was saved by the bell.
The third round began with Salter working from long distance. Gegard tried to shorten it and remained more effective in his striking. The challenger appeared to feel the champion's blows and walked backwards. John tried to take the duel to the ground, but fell into a disadvantageous position. On top, the division leader once again punished his rival in the ground and pound. Mousasi hit and the opponent just covered his face. Noticing the challenger's condition, the referee interrupted the duel.
Bellator 264 results
MAIN CARD
Average weight (up to 83,9kg): Gegard Mousasi defeated John Salter by technical knockout at 2:07 of R3 – Fight for the belt
Welterweight (up to 77kg): Andrei Koreshkov defeated Sabah Homasi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
Bantamweight (up to 61,2kg): Raufeon Stots defeated Magomed Magomedov via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Davion Franklin defeated Everett Cummings by knockout at 21 seconds. from R1
Middleweight (up to 83,9kg): Khadzimurat Bestaev defeated Ty Gwerder by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Pam Sorenson defeated Roberta Samad in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Catchweight (up to 64,4kg): Jeffrey Glossner defeated Sebastian Ruiz by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Catchweight (up to 88,4kg): Jon McNeil defeated Orlando Mendoza by technical knockout at 3:57 of R3
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