The Gegard Mousasi era has ended in the Bellator middleweight division.
In a shocking turn of events, Johnny Elben had the lifelong performance to dominate Mousasi and capture the Bellator middleweight title Friday night at the Bellator 282 main event, which took place at the Mohegan Sun Uncasville Arena, Connecticut. Elben controlled all facets of the struggle, beating Mousasi at his feet and totally overwhelming him on the mat to finally win a unanimous unilateral decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).
It marked only the second defeat of Mousasi’s five years at Bellator and stopped a streak of four consecutive wins that made fans debate whether Mousasi deserved to be considered among the best middleweight word.
Not in vain, the world of MMA had a lot to do with the unexpected result. Check out the reaction to Elben’s title-winning performance on Mousasi below, courtesy of Jorge Masvidal, Yoel Romero and more.
I don’t remember Mousasi leaving his chin in the air so long ago! # Bellator282
– Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) June 25, 2022