Bellator 206 preview: Mousasi looks to defend middleweight title vs. MacDonald

Bellator 206 is shaping up to be one of the most star-studded events of the promotion's 2018 calendar, with three outstanding fights highlighting the card.

The main event promises to be a titanic showcase, pitting Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi against welterweight champion Rory MacDonald. The former is looking to mount his first title defense, while the latter could emerge as the second multi-division titleholder in Bellator history.

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Another chapter will be added to one of the greatest rivalries in mixed martial arts history when Quinton "Rampage" Jackson squares off against Wanderlei Silva. It's become a trope to build up conflicts that often don't exist between athletes in order to sell a narrative. However, Jackson and Silva genuinely seem to despise each other, with their first three fights often described among the bloodiest and most violent in the canon of mixed martial arts.

Douglas Lima will look to regain momentum when he faces Andrey Koreshkov on Sept. 29. Lima, who twice won the Bellator welterweight championship, lost the title in his most recent bout against Rory MacDonald at Bellator 192. Koreshkov is also a former Bellator welterweight champion and after two consecutive victories, could ascend through the ranks in hopes of eventually regaining the title.

Here's what you need to know:

Gegard Mousasi (44-6-2) vs. Rory MacDonald (20-4-0)

Since leaving the UFC for Bellator, Mousasi has won both of his fights, most recently defeating Rafael Carvalho via TKO (punches) at Bellator 200 to win the middleweight championship. A well-rounded fighter with excellent boxing and kickboxing skills, Mousasi will be looking to put MacDonald on the defensive.

Despite the Canadian moving up to middleweight for this bout, Mousasi doesn't think MacDonald will be at a disadvantage during the contest.

"I don't think like that. I've been up to light heavyweight, I've been up to heavyweight, actually heavyweight was the easiest division because the guys are slow. I'm planning to fight two more middleweight fights then go up, no more weight cutting for me. I think the guy who wants it more is going to win, but I have to outpower him, outsmart him, I'll do whatever is necessary to win, but definitely weight won't be an issue," Mousasi said during the Bellator 206 conference call.

MacDonald, like Mousasi, has won both of his fights since joining Bellator from the UFC. He hasn't fought since capturing the welterweight title against Douglas Lima via unanimous decision in January. MacDonald specializes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his combination of speed, punching, and kicking power could make this fight one of the most entertaining of the year.

Now, he's sitting his sights on the record books.

"This could cement my name in this sport. Gegard’s been everywhere, he’s fought everybody. This is the biggest fight of my career for a bunch of different reasons," MacDonald said. "If I go out there and fight hard with passion I can cement myself in this sport."

This could be an instant classic.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (37-13) vs. Wanderlei Silva (35-13)

Jackson and Silva's animosity toward each other spans at least 15 years and this could be the final fight between the heated rivals. It's been almost 10 years since Jackson knocked out Silva at UFC 92, but time hasn't healed all wounds.

Jackson downplayed his contempt toward Silva but is looking forward to evening the series score at two apiece.

"I don’t walk around hating people and stuff, this is my job, this is my career. I’m always happy to get in the cage and punch him in the face. I'm super excited to be fighting against an opponent who’s down to scrap, who’s down to be entertaining for the fans. I love standing with Wanderlei. This fight I've been training for 13 long weeks. My cardio is mint. I can go hard all three rounds," Jackson said.

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Silva hasn't fought since June 2017, losing to Chael Sonnen at Bellator 180. He last won a fight against Brian Stann in March 2013. After losing to Jackson in December 2008, Silva has been waiting for an opportunity to bury him, potentially for the final time.

"We are real rivals, and real rivals everybody wants to see it, because they don’t exist any more. This is going to be one of the best fights of the night for sure. He’s a good fighter, you know? Now he’s a little bit fat, but I hope he can fight good like the other times," Silva said of Jackson.

Douglas Lima (29-7) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (21-2)

Lima is reeling from a loss to Rory MacDonald at Bellator 192 and is now faced with an opportunity to take down one of his biggest threats in Koreshkov. The 30-year-old Brazilian previously lost the welterweight title against Koreshkov at Bellator 140, then regained it against him at Bellator 164 before losing it again to MacDonald.

Koreshkov has rebounded well since losing to Lima at Bellator 164 and is on a two-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Vaso Bakocevic at Bellator 203.

Lima, a specialist in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, should provide a compelling stylistic clash against Koreshkov, who excels at hand-to-hand combat and freestyle fighting. Bellator 206 marks the third leg of the trilogy and with both fighters looking to reach the pinnacle again, it might be the best fight between them yet.

Fight card

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