Gegard Mousasi to Defend Middleweight Belt Against John Salter at Bellator 264 on Aug. 13

Bellator MMA middleweight king Gegard Mousasi is set to begin his second reign as champion.

The news on Friday first came from MMA Junkie, who reported that Mousasi (47-7-2) will be defending his 185-pound belt against John Salter (18-4) on Aug. 13. The newly announced event titled Bellator 264 will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and no other matches have been released yet. The pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Mousasi reclaimed the middleweight throne in October 2020, when he overwhelmed welterweight champ Douglas Lima and thwarted his foe’s intentions of becoming a simultaneous two-division champion. Mousasi held the strap in 2018, and lost it in 2019 by a majority verdict to Rafael Lovato Jr. A split decision win over Lyoto Machida led to the vacant title fight with Lima, after Lovato Jr. surrendered the crown due to health issues. “The Dreamcatcher” maintains a high stoppage rate of 81 percent throughout his career that dates back to 2003.

Salter hoists an even higher finish rate (94 percent) than his opponent, finishing all but one of his opponents in victory. Since a 2018 submission loss to Lovato Jr., Salter has rattled off a trio of wins over Chidi Njokuani, Costello van Steenis and Andrew Kapel to earn his very first crack at Bellator gold. In each of their last 11 bouts, both men have suffered just one defeat, with the two falling short to Lovato Jr.