Undefeated prospect Austin Vanderford will get his first crack at a championship on February 25th, facing Bellator Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi. The matchup was first reported by Nolan King, Farah Hannoun and John Morgan of MMA Junkie on Tuesday.
The fight is expected to headline a card at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
Vanderford enters only the second five-round fight of his career with a flawless record of 11 wins. This includes five performances in the Bellator cage from 2019 to 2021.
Vanderford’s last fight was a scorecard victory against Fabian Edwards in May.
Mousasi defended his middleweight belt for the first time of his ongoing stint in August, securing a third-round finish win over John Salter. He earned the belt a year prior, going five rounds against then-welterweight champ Douglas Lima for a unanimous decision result.
Vanderford was promoted as the next opponent for Mousasi immediately after his last win. The fighters did a face-off in August at Bellator 264.
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