November 2, 2024

Bellator 206 fight night weights: How much of an advantage did Gegard Mousasi have?

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Gegard Mousasi’s size difference was not insignificant — in the cage and in the numbers.

Mousasi weighed 200 pounds on fight night at Bellator 206 last Saturday night in San Jose, Calif., according to a document obtained by MMA Fighting from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). Rory MacDonald, his opponent, weighed 189.4 that night — a difference of 10.6 pounds.

MacDonald, the Bellator welterweight champion, was moving up to challenge for Mousasi’s middleweight belt. Mousasi won the bout by second-round TKO in a comprehensive performance to retain the belt.

Mousasi’s weight gain from weigh-ins to the fight was 8 percent, which is well below CSAC’s regulations. If a fighter comes in at more than 10 percent of the contracted weight class, the commission could ask for that fighter to move up to the next division. Meanwhile, MacDonald, who usually fights at 170, only gained back 2.3 percent from weigh-in day.

The fighter who gained the most back from the main card was Douglas Lima, who went from 170 to 192.6 — a gain of 12.6 percent — for his fight with Andrey Koreshkov in the first round of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. Lima won by fifth-round submission over Koreshkov in the battle of former Bellator 170-pound champs. Koreshkov gained back 8.5 percent from weigh-ins, going from 169.3 to 185.5.

Aaron Pico was fighting Leandro Higo, who was moving up from bantamweight to featherweight. But Pico was actually the lighter man in the cage Saturday night. Pico went from 145.7 pounds at weigh-ins to 159.8 pounds on fight night — a 9.5 percent difference. Higo, meanwhile, gained back 11 percent, going from 145.1 pounds to 162.

Main card

Gegard Mousasi (184.4 to 200 = 8%) def. Rory MacDonald (184.9 to 189.4 = 2.3%)

Quinton Jackson (254.4 to 259.4 = 1.9%) def. Wanderlei Silva (226.9 to 226.4 = -0.2%)

Douglas Lima (170 to 192.6 = 12.6%) def. Andrey Koreshkov (169.3 to 185.5 = 8.5%)

Aaron Pico (145.7 to 159.8 = 9.5%) def. Leandro Higo (145.1 to 162 = 11%)

Keri Melendez (116 to 123.8 = 6.7%) def. Dakota Zimmerman (115.6 to 127.8 = 10.2%)

Gaston Bolanos (145.2 to 161.2 = 10.4%) def. Ysidro Gutierrez (145.3 to 164 = 12.3%)

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