Gegard Mousasi’s Bellator MMA debut against Alexander Shlemenko was more difficult than most expected, as he suffered a broken orbital bone in their Bellator 185 encounter in October. While Mousasi won by unanimous decision, it was not without controversy. With that said, it did nothing to alter the trajectory of his career.
Mousasi will challenge Rafael Carvalho for the undisputed middleweight championship in the Bellator 200 headliner on Friday at the SSE Arena in London. Carvalho has posted 15 straight wins, six of them in Bellator, and owns victories over Melvin Manhoef (twice), Joe Schilling and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Alessio Sakara.