Gegard Mousasi to defend Bellator title vs. Austin Vanderford on Feb. 25 in Dublin

Austin Vanderford already was determined as the next challenger for Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. Now the fight has a date and location.

Mousasi (48-7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) is set to defend his 185-pound title against undefeated Vanderford (11-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) on Feb. 25 at a Bellator event from the 3Arena in Dublin. Multiple people informed MMA Junkie of the booking Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make a formal announcement.

Vanderford, 31, sealed his spot as the No. 1 middleweight contender last May when he defeated Fabian Edwards by unanimous decision after suffering a nasty gash at Bellator 259. The victory marked his fifth in a row with Bellator since making his debut in February 2019. Vanderford has three wins by unanimous decision, one by doctor stoppage TKO and one by submission among his Bellator appearances.

Mousasi, 36, who’s in the middle of his second reign as 185-pound champ, is coming off his first title defense against John Salter last August at Bellator 264. Mousasi was dominant before scoring a third-round TKO with punches. Vanderford was in attendance that night. Afterward, he and Mousasi faced off in the middle of the cage.

Mousasi, a former Strikeforce champ who spent four years in the UFC, is on a three-fight winning streak and has won 11 of 12 dating back to February 2016.