Rafael Lovato Jr. is still getting used to the term “Bellator middleweight champion” referring to himself after realizing his dream at Bellator London with his victory over Gegard Mousassi. The feeling of having the belt wrapped around himself was the culmination to years of hard work and refining of his craft (Transcript via MMA Junkie):
“It’s hard to put into words,” Lovator Jr. told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at The SSE Arena. “It really is my life’s work, and everybody that’s had the biggest piece of my life were here – just a couple were missing.
“I dreamed of it this way. I was telling myself backstage that this would be my masterpiece.”
The realization of this dream did not come easy, though. The fight was very competitive, with one judge even scoring the bout a draw. Due to the competitive nature of the fight and Mousasi’s name, Lovato is more than prepared and willing to run it back:
“If that’s what they want to do, I can’t blame them,” Lovato Jr. said. “It was an extremely close fight, and it is Mousasi.
“I always envisioned having a fight like that, a complete war, coming down to the wire, bringing out the best in me. It was the best way it could possibly go against a legend like that. I was a big underdog. A few people believed in me… and we did it.”
Do you believe Bellator should book a middleweight championship rematch between Rafael Lovato Jr. and Gegard Mousasi?
