Mousasi tops Machida via split decision in Bellator 228 main event

Gegard Mousasi earned a split-decision win over Lyoto Machida in the three-round main event of Bellator 228 on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

The welterweight bout, a rematch of the 2014 UFC fight that ended in victory for Machida, marks Mousasi's return to the win column after losing his division title to Rafael Lovato Jr. via majority decision in June.

Mousasi evidently has his sights set on a rematch that would give him the opportunity to regain that belt, as he called out Lovato in his postfight interview.

Machida, who had been making the cut from light heavyweight to middleweight in search of a title shot of his own, was unable to find a rhythm through much of the fight. A late push for a stoppage made for an encouraging effort, but he couldn't finish a promising guillotine attempt before the final bell and suffered his first Bellator loss as a result.

Mousasi's professional record improves to 46-7-2 with the win, while Machida drops to 26-9.