Gegard
Mousasi will make his next middleweight title defense against
Austin
Vanderford at a Bellator MMA event in Dublin, Ireland on Feb.
25.
MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. Vanderford had
already been tabbed as the No. 1 contender at 185 pounds, so it was
just a matter of announcing a date and venue for his matchup with
Mousasi. The card, which has not been formally announced by the
promotion, takes place at 3Arena.
Mousasi, 36, regained middleweight gold with a five-round verdict
against ex-welterweight champ Douglas
Lima at Bellator 250 in October 2020. The Armenian-born
Dutchman returned to defend the belt with a third-round technical
knockout victory against John Salter
at Bellator 264. Mousasi is 6-1 overall within the California-based
promotion with a pair of middleweight championship reigns to his
credit. “The Dreamcatcher” has won 11 of his last 12 pro outings
dating back to February 2016, a run that includes five triumphs in
UFC competition.
Vanderford, meanwhile, is 11-0 since beginning his professional MMA
career in March 2017. The 31-year-old Gracie Barra Portland
representative has been victorious in his first five promotional
appearances, including a unanimous decision win over Fabian
Edwards in his most recent outing at Bellator 259.