Gegard Mousasi vs. Austin Vanderford booked for Bellator middleweight title fight on Feb. 25

Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi has his next assignment with a fight booked against Austin Vanderford on Feb. 25 with the event currently targeted for Dublin, Ireland.

Multiple sources confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Tuesday following an initial report from MMA Junkie. The event is currently expected to take place at the 3Arena in Dublin, pending any issues with COVID protocols being enacted prior to February.

The matchup between Mousasi and Vanderford has been expected for some time but now the Viacom-owned promotion has found a date and location for the title fight in early 2022.

After finishing John Salter in his last title defense, Mousasi squared off with Vanderford, who had already been determined as the next contender in line for the middleweight champion.

Vanderford earned the opportunity following five straight wins in Bellator including a victory over Fabian Edwards in his last outing to move his overall record to 11-0.

He’ll take a decided step up in competition for his next fight, however, as Vanderford attempts to stop the surging Mousasi as he looks to continues his second reign as Bellator middleweight champion.

Mousasi vs. Vanderford is the main event and first confirmed fight for the upcoming card planned on Feb. 25 with more bouts expected to be added in the coming weeks.