Douglas Lima vows that he’s not done in the middleweight division after falling short of the title Thursday at Bellator 250.
Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA), the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, failed in his quest to become a dual titleholder when he dropped a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) for the vacant strap at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
An inability to stop Mousasi from pressuring him, as well as failing to stop takedowns in key moments, proved to be significant contributors to Lima’s loss. He kept his spirits high in the aftermath of the fight, though, and said that while defending the 170-pound strap is in his immediate plans, he’s “not done” at middleweight.
Read Lima’s full statement following Bellator 250 below (via Instagram):
First thank you God before anything! Glory is always yours! I stepped in the gas too late and showed way too much respect in this fight! I’m defending my welterweight belt next, but I’m not done with this weight class! I will fight for this MW belt again! I fought one of the best in the world at his weight class! I will learn a lot from this fight and come back better! Thank you all for supporting me and sorry for those that I disappointed as well, it’s not always a big knockout specially at this level! I will be back really soon! Thank you Team and family I love you all! 🇧🇷
Despite Lima’s claim that he would be back “very soon,” Bellator president Scott Coker said after Bellator 250 that he’d like to see the Brazilian take some time off following a hard five-round fight.
Coker said there are a bevy of options for Lima when he does return to welterweight to defend the gold, and he named a rematch with Michael Page or a showdown with Neiman Gracie as two matchups of interest.
