Rafael Lovato Jr. will be challenging Gegard Mousasi in the main event of Bellator London and he will have an opportunity to pick up his 10th professional win in dynamic fashion by not only becoming a world champion but doing so by defeating someone Lovato considers a legend in the sport: (Transcript via MMA Fighting):
“He’s by far the best I’ve fought,” Lovato Jr. said on the “Eurobash” podcast.
“He’s solidified himself as one of the best of all time in his weight class, 100 percent. I’ve been watching him for a long time and I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. I feel like I’ve been climbing ever since the beginning, every fight I’ve fought has been a jump up in competition. Every [opponent] had a lot more experience than me and I’ve been the underdog. I feel this is the mountain and he’s the mountaintop; he’s the peak. For me, it’s beautiful, it’s perfect because I wouldn’t want to take one little step up to get to the top of the mountain.”
“I want to defeat a legend to win the belt,” Lovato continued. “That’s the way it should be; it should be the biggest test to get that belt. It’s perfect and it’s an honor to fight someone I have so much respect for and who carries himself like a martial artist the way he does.”
Rafael Lovato Jr. will not be undertaking this tall endeavor without a plan. To hand Gegard Mousasi his first loss in Bellator, Lovato believes that his best chance to do so will be to remain fluid and not get sucked into a kickboxing fight:
“The goal is to find the right opportunity, keep it close and mix everything up as well as I possibly can,” Lovato said. “I just want to be the best version of myself, I don’t really go in there comparing our striking skills; I’m comparing our mixed martial arts skills. Once again, he’s got fantastic skills, but I don’t need to just wrap my head around going in there and boxing and kickboxing with him. Just like he has a great jab, I have at least the threat of being able to take him down that he could be worrying about, and that can change things.”
Who do you predict will exit Bellator London as the middleweight champion? Reigning champion Gegard Mousasi or the undefeated Rafael Lovato Jr.?
