Gegard Mousasi vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. rebooked for Bellator London, Paul Daley, James Gallagher expected to compete

Bellator is loading up for its return to London.

The promotion announced Friday that Gegard Mousasi will defend his middleweight title against Rafael Lovato Jr. in the main event of Bellator London, set to take place at The SSE Arena, Wembley on June 22. Mousasi and Lovato were originally scheduled to face one another at Bellator 214 in January, but Mousasi was forced out of that meeting with a back injury.

Also expected to be on the card are England’s Paul Daley and Ireland’s James Gallagher, with their respective opponents still to be named.

Mousasi (45-6-2) seeks the second consecutive defense of his middleweight championship after defeating welterweight champion Rory MacDonald via second-round TKO in a superfight last September. “The Dreamcatcher” is 3-0 since moving from the UFC to Bellator and has won eight straight overall.

In nine pro bouts, Lovato has yet experience a loss. Lovato, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace who fights out of Oklahoma, is 5-0 inside the Bellator cage with three of this wins coming in under two minutes.

Daley (40-17-2) has lost three of his last four bouts, including his most recent outing, a five-round unanimous decision loss to rival Michael Page that was widely regarded as disappointing for its lack of fireworks. That result also knocked him out of the opening round of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. He competes in England for the first time since Bellator 179 in May 2017, when he was submitted by MacDonald.

The 22-year-old Gallagher rebounded from the first loss of his career, a devastating first-round KO at the hands of Ricky Bandejas, by submitting Steven Graham in just 2:30 at Bellator 217 this past February. He improved to 8-1 as a pro and 5-1 inside the Bellator cage.