Bellator 282: Mousasi vs Eblen takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on Friday, June 24. The fight card live on Showtime is headlined by a five-round middleweight title bout following a pair of bantamweight World Grand Prix quarterfinals.
Headlining the show No. 4-ranked Bellator pound-for-pound fighter and two-time middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi (49-7-2) defends his title against top-ranked unbeaten Johnny Eblen (11-0).
Magomed Magomedov (18-2-0) and Leandro Higo (21-5-0) partake in the WGP quarterfinals. The opponents for both men are expected to be determined by a pair of Wild Card bouts set to take place at Bellator 278 on Friday, April 22.
Magomedov is scheduled to take on the winner of the fight between Enrique Barzola (17-5-2) and No. 8-ranked Josh Hill (21-4). Higo awaits the winner of the bout between No. 9-ranked Jornel Lugo (8-0) and Danny Sabatello (11-1). These fighters are looking to advance in the tournament with their sights set on winning the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix, along with taking home the interim world title and $1 million check.
Bellator 282 tickets
Tickets for Bellator 282: Mousasi vs Eblen on Friday, June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT go on sale Friday, April 1. Presale starts two days prior.
Given a body of work that spans nearly twenty years and sixty fights, Mousasi is widely considered one of the very best fighters of all time. Having competed in multiple weight classes from welterweight all the way up to super heavyweight, Mousasi has asserted his dominance against all comers.
A two-time Bellator middleweight champion, Mousasi enjoyed his first reign as the promotion’s 185-pound king dating back to 2018, winning the title against Rafael Carvalho and defending it against Rory MacDonald. The Dutchman reclaimed his title in a dominant performance over Douglas Lima, who held the welterweight championship at the time, before adding dominant, successful TKO title defenses against John Salter and Austin Vanderford, both of whom were ranked no. 1 at the time of their fights. Now, Mousasi looks to defend his reign against a third straight no. 1 contender in a very hungry Johnny Eblen.
A rising name amongst the Bellator stable, currently No.1-ranked Johnny Eblen has impressed MMA-fandom with his ability to find the “cheat code” to take down all his opponents. With 11 pro fights under his belt, Eblen jumped in rankings when he beat previously No.1-ranked John Salter on March 12. Other notable finishes include conquering Daniel Madrid via first round TKO and Colin Huckbody via strikes in 71 seconds.
Eblen, who trains at American Top Team in South Florida, has “King Mo” Lawal among his coaches and will look to him for the blueprint as he is one of very few men to defeat Mousasi.
In addition, among the announced preliminary card bouts former title challenger and No. 5-ranked Alejandra Lara (9-5) meets Team Pitbull’s Ilara Joanne (9-6). Other bouts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The current Bellator 282 lineup can be found below.
Bellator 282 fight card
Main Card
- Gegard Mousasi vs. Johnny Eblen – Mousasi’s Bellator middleweight title
- Magomed Magomedov vs. Enrique Barzola or Josh Hill – Bellator bantamweight WGP quarter-final
- Leandro Higo vs. Jornel Lugo or Danny Sabatello – Bellator bantamweight WGP quarter-final
Preliminary Card
- Alejandra Lara vs. Ilara Joanne
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