BREAKING | Bellator 200 to feature Gegard Mousasi title shot, return of ‘MVP’

Bellator 200, which will go down on May 25 in London, England, is a landmark card for the promotion. From the looks of it, they’re going to make sure the event is suitably stacked.

On Monday morning, the promotion announced the first two fights for the event.

One will see former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and UFC middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi get his long-awaited crack at Bellator middleweight gold opposite champ Rafael Carvalho. The other will be the latest effort of flashy striking specialist Michael “Venom” Page, who returns to the cage after a short stint as a boxer, where he’ll take on David “The Caveman” Rickels.

When we last saw Gegard Mousasi in action, he debuted in the Bellator cage with a close decision win over former champion Alexander Shlemenko. With this win, he improved to 43-6-2 overall. The middleweight champ Carvalho, meanwhile, recently defended his belt with a blitzkrieg knockout of Italian UFC veteran Alessio Sakara, elevating his overall record to an impressive 15-1 in the process.

MVP’s last MMA bout occurred in November of 2016, when he picked up an absolutely forgettable decision win over recently released Bellator veteran Fernando Gonzales. He’s a perfect 12-0 in MMA. Rickels, on the other hand, is on a two-fight streak, having recently bested Aaron Derrow and Adam Piccolotti. He’s 19-4 in sum.

What do you think of these first two bouts confirmed for Bellator 200? Join the conversation in the comments section!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/26/2018.