Bellator London: Mousasi vs Lovato Jr. Odds & Picks

• Bellator returns to London, England for its European Series
• The middleweight title is on the line
• Paul Daley and James Gallagher are also on the card

Bellator returns to England on Saturday, June 22nd for Bellator London. In the main event, Gegard Mousasi is putting his middleweight title on the line as he takes on undefeated jiu-jitsu ace, Rafael Lovato Jr. The two were expected to fight back in January but Mousasi had to pull out due to injury.

Gegard Mousasi vs Rafael Lovato Jr. Odds

*All odds taken 06/21/19

Fight Record and Recent History

Mousasi (45-6-2) is coming off of a dominating TKO win over Rory MacDonald back in September to defend his middleweight title. The 33-year-old is riding an eight-fight winning streak including being 3-0 in Bellator. During this run, the champion has beaten, Chris Weidman, Thiago Santos, Vitor Belfort, and Rafael Carvalho, among others.

Throughout his career, he has beaten the likes of Dan Henderson, Jacare Souza, Mark Hunt, Ilir Latifi, and Ovince Saint Preux, among others.

Lovato Jr. (9-0) is coming off of a submission win over John Salter in September. The jiu-jitsu ace is 5-0 in Bellator and is a former world and national jiu-jitsu champion. In his MMA career, he also has beaten the likes of Gerald Harris, Chris Honeycutt, and Mike Rhodes, among others.

Mousasi vs Lovato Jr. Tale of the Tape

Gegard Mousasi is a clear favorite for a reason. The champion has looked unbeatable thus far in Bellator. He demolished the welterweight champion in MacDonald, who is one of the best welterweights alive. And, his incredible knockout power has stayed with him, along with his movement.

Gegard Mousasi is a clear favorite for a reason. The champion has looked unbeatable thus far in Bellator.

For Lovato Jr. to win this fight and pull off the upset he needs to get the fight to the ground. He is arguably the best at jiu-jitsu in MMA, and although Mousasi has a dominant ground and pound, pulling guard makes some sense. Lovato Jr. will not win this fight on the feet, and his only chance is to submit Mousasi, who has been submitted before.

In the end, I believe Mousasi will be too much too soon for Lovato Jr. who is still fairly new to the MMA game. I’m not sure if Mousasi finishes the fight, which he could, but a dominant win nonetheless is what will happen.

Pick: Gegard Mousasi (-450)

Paul Daley vs Erick Silva Odds

Fight Record and Recent History

Daley (40-17-2) is riding a two-fight losing streak and coming off of a lackluster performance against Michael Page in the opening round of the welterweight Grand Prix. Daley was picked apart on the feet and when he got it to the ground, he had no success. However, Daley has serious knockout power as evidenced throughout his career. He also has beaten the likes of Lorenz Larkin, Brennan Ward, Jorge Masvidal, and Duane Ludwig, among others.

Silva (20-10) is coming off of a lopsided loss to Yaroslav Amosov in his Bellator debut. Before that, the veteran picked up a win in LFA after getting cut by the UFC. In the Las Vegas-based promotion, he didn’t have too much success as he went 6-8 with wins over Josh Koscheck, Mike Rhodes, and Takenori Sato, among others.

Daley vs Silva Tale of the Tape

This fight is made for Paul Daley to get back into the win column. The Englishman is fighting in front of his home crowd and against Silva who hasn’t looked impressive as of late. Silva, as well, has been knocked out a ton in his career, and Daley has proven his power in his hands is still there.

For Silva to win this fight, he needs to get Daley down to the ground and smother him as Jon Fitch did. It won’t be the best fight to watch, but that is how he can win. However, I don’t see that happening at all. Daley will be able to walk down Silva and piece him up until the fight is over or he knocks him out. Either way, Daley will get back into the win column in this fight.

Pick: Paul Daley (-325)

James Gallagher vs Jeremiah Labiano Odds

Another easy win for James Gallagher coming up here in front of the European crowd. Gallagher by submission in the first is the pick.

Pick: James Gallagher (-400)