One middleweight prospect believes Rafael Carvalho has an edge going into his title defense against Gegard Mousasi.
On May 25, Carvalho will put his Bellator middleweight title on the line against Mousasi. The championship bout is set to be the co-main event of Bellator 200. The card will take place inside The SSE Arena, Wembley in London, England.
Carvalho has made three successful title defenses. He defeated Brandon Halsey back in Oct. 2015 to capture the gold. He then defended his title against Melvin Manhoef twice and most recently knocked out Alessio Sakara in 44 seconds.
Mousasi earned a title opportunity thanks to his six-fight winning streak. In that span he’s beaten the likes of Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort to name a couple. He defeated Alexander Shlemenko in his last outing, but he struggled in the bout.
One man who will be paying close attention to Bellator 200 is Rafael Lovato Jr. Last night (April 28), Lovato earned a first-round submission victory over Gerald Harris. This improved his record to 8-0 and he’s on the fast track to a title opportunity if he continues to perform to the level he’s been.
During the Bellator 198 post-fight scrum, Lovato Jr. gave his pick for the upcoming middleweight title clash:
“It could really go either way, but if I had to bet, I’d bet on Carvalho.”
In the main event of Bellator 200, heavyweights will collide in a rematch. Roy Nelson is looking to rebound from his Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix loss to Matt Mitrione. To do so, he’ll need to get past a familiar foe in Mirko Cro Cop. The winner will serve as an alternate in the Grand Prix.
Also on tap for the event is a light heavyweight tilt between former Bellator 205-pound champion Phil Davis and Linton Vassell. Stick with MMANews.com for coverage of Bellator 200.
Do you think Rafael Carvalho will have a successful title defense against Gegard Mousasi?
