UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Gegard Mousasi is still the Bellator middleweight champion.
In the Bellator 264 main event Friday, Mousasi (48-7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) defeated John Salter (18-5 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) by TKO (punches) at the 2:07 mark of Round 3.
The middleweight title bout took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
The opening round saw Salter utilize his wrestling after Mousasi stalked him down on the feet. Salter dragged Mousasi to the ground, but the Netherlands-based fighter hopped back to his feet. Salter pushed Mousasi against the cage in a takedown attempt, but ate six knees to the body for his trouble.
At the start of Round 2, Salter looked noticeably tired. Mousasi continued to stalk and landed his biggest shots of the fight to the moment. Salter retreated, waited, and shot once again. It took a lot of effort, but Salter got the takedown. After some top control from Salter, Mousasi rose to his feet. Salter pulled guard and Mousasi rained down ground-and-pound. Salter survived the round.
In Round 3, Mousasi continued to press. Salter once again pulled guard. Mousasi stood up and pummeled away as Salter covered up. Referee Dan Miragliotta gave Salter a chance to defend himself, but the damage kept coming and the fight was waved off.
After the fight, Bellator announced Mousasi vs. Austin Vanderford (11-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will be next.
With the win, Mousasi successfully defended his Bellator middleweight title for the first time since he defeated Douglas Lima for the vacant strap in October. The win extended Mousasi’s winning streak to three and made him a victor of 11 of his most recent 12 outings.
For Salter, the loss snapped a three-fight winning streak. It was only his second career loss by TKO and his first since UFC Fight Night 20 in January 2010.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 264 results include:
- Gegard Mousasi def. John Salter via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:07
- Andrey Koreshkov def. Sabah Homasi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Raufeon Stots def. Magomed Magomedov via unanimous decision decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Davion Franklin def. Everett Cummings via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:21
- Khadzhi Bestaev def. Ty Gwerder via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Pam Sorenson def. Roberta Samad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jeffrey Glossner def. Sebastian Ruiz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jon McNeil def. Orlando Mendoza via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:57
