It certainly wasn’t an ideal Bellator MMA debut for former Strikeforce champ Gegard Mousasi. The ex-UFC contender signed with Bellator MMA in free agency and was booked against former middleweight champ Alexander Shlemenko, and he was fortunate to come away with a unanimous decision win in Friday’s Bellator 185 main event at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, CT. While Mousasi definitively took round 1, a left hand by Shlemenko caused serious swelling to develop on Gegard’s right eye, and it affected his performance the rest of the way. Shlemenko easily won round 3 and was landing heavy shots on the ground and at kickboxing range, but the three judges at cageside saw the closely-fought round 2 in Mousasi’s favor.
Bellator 185 results and highlights: Mousasi squeaks past Shlemenko, Hardy gets busted up
