Gegard Mousasi Out of Bellator 214 Title Defense Against Rafael Lovato Jr.

An injury has forced middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi out of his upcoming title defense against Rafael Lovato Jr. at Bellator 214 in January.

Sources close to the promotion confirmed the news on Thursday following an initial report from ESPN.

It appears a back injury is what forced Mosuasi to pull out of the fight, although there’s no word on the severity or how long it will keep him sidelined.

That could determine whether or not Lovato Jr. seeks out another fight or just waits for his opportunity to face Mousasi once he’s healthy.

Mousasi was coming off a statement win back in September where he thumped welterweight champion Rory MacDonald after he attempted to move to 185 pounds to win a second title.

Unfortunately Mousasi will have to wait until later in 2019 to attempt his first title defense due to this injury setback.