A
previously reported middleweight championship clash between
Gegard
Mousasi and Johnny
Eblen has an official date and event.
The California-based promotion announced Tuesday that Mousasi will
defend his 185-pound belt against Eblen in the Bellator 282
headliner on June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The
main card will air on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while
prelims stream on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, the Showtime
Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
Additionally, two bantamweight grand prix quarterfinals will take
place at Bellator 282. Magomed
Magomedov will face the Enrique
Barzola–Josh Hill
winner, while Leandro
Higo will square off against the Jornel
Lugo–Danny
Sabatello winner. A preliminary clash pitting Alejandra
Lara against Ilara
Joanne was also confirmed for the card.
Mousasi last appeared at Bellator 275 on Feb. 25, when he made
short work of the previously undefeated Austin
Vanderford in a first-round technical knockout victory. The
Armenian-born Dutchman has been victorious in seven of eight
appearances within the California-based promotion and is on his
second term as middleweight champion.
American Top Team’s Eblen has kicked off his professional tenure
with 11 consecutive triumphs, including seven victories under the
Bellator banner. Most recently, Eblen cruised to a three-round
verdict over former title challenger John Salter
at Bellator 276.