Douglas Lima Puts Beef With PFL Aside, Inks Contract With Organization

Mergers between businesses always put employees of the company being acquired in limbo. With new executives involved, there will be a differing opinion on how everything was valued compared to previous management. Douglas Lima was one of several former Bellator fighters upset with how the PFL did business.

Upon the new contract negotiations, Lima felt that the PFL kept him on the sidelines for a year while not wanting to pay out for the contract that he had with Bellator. It was a tough pill to swallow for Lima.

The MMAfighting latest news showed that Lima was a three-time Bellator welterweight champion, but he only defended the belt once. During Lima’s time in the organization he was tied with Patricky for second-most knockouts in Bellator history with nine.

Lima has 13 wins at welterweight, which is second in the promotion’s history. However, Lima’s beef with the PFL has faded of late. He was recently booked in his first fight since he redid his contract.

This was an appealing option for Lima, who was tagged to compete in the Bellator Champions Series. While the PFL now owns the brand and promotes the event, it has to be nice for Lima to still be fighting for the promotion that he worked for during the previous 13 years.

Still Under the Bellator Banner

What has made the PFL’s transition interesting since buying Bellator is that they are still holding fights under the Bellator name. The PFL is holding fights that are being marketed as the Bellator Champions Series. During these events, the PFL has things set up like a traditional MMA organization.

Instead of having a season-long format, which is the PFL’s gimmick, MMA latest updates show that Bellator fighters can still defend their titles and take other fights to stay active. Lima’s first fight back will come on Sept. 7 in San Diego.

Lima will be paired up with Aaron Jeffery in a middleweight fight. Jeffery once fought on Dana White’s Contender Series. That card will feature Usman Nurmagomedov and Alexander Shabliy fighting for the lightweight title. Jeffery lost his last fight with Fabian Edwards in March.

Jeffrey is a solid fighter. He has a 14-5 career record. Nine of Jeffrey’s 14 career wins have come by KO. Jeffrey struggles to impress the judges. During his eight fights that have gone to a decision, he has only produced a 4-4 record.

Lima is 33-11 during his career, according to the best MMA news sites.

Lima Wasn’t Only Fighter Upset

Part of what kept Lima out of the octagon was a dispute over money. There were more than a few veteran fighters who voiced their concerns over how they were being treated by new management. Gegard Mousasi also accused the PFL of pressuring him to redo his contract, and take less money, in order to get fights.

Nearly a month after Mousasi spoke out, Lima joined him in his criticism. What upset Lima was seeing other fighters he had defeated, like Costello van Steenis getting an opportunity to fight for a championship. Lima was active on social media trying to advocate for his situation.

The PFL maintained publicly that there was a miscommunication and that they wanted Lima to stay on board. 

Lima Was a Long-Time Bellator Staple

Lima was always a solid company man who stayed active for many years after signing with Bellator in 2011. When Lima first joined the organization, he fought in the welterweight tournament and won three fights in 2011 to earn a championship fight with Ben Askren. Lima lost his first opportunity to win the championship in April 2012 but never stopped working.

Lima won the welterweight tournament again in 2013 and 2014 before winning the vacant championship by stopping Rick Hawn in 2014. However, Lima lost the belt in his first defense to Andrey Koreshkov.

Reclaiming His Throne

The decision loss to Koreshkov didn’t sit well with Lima. A little over a year after their first fight, Lima flew to Israel and reclaimed the title by knocking out Koreshkov in the third round. Lima followed that win with his only title defense when he beat Lorenz Larkin by decision in June 2017.

Lima lost the championship to Rory MacDonald in January 2018. When Lima and MacDonald rematched in October 2019, Lima reclaimed the championship with a decision win. Lima attempted to become a multi-division champion by challenging Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 250.

Lima lost by decision, which kicked off a four-match losing streak for Lima. He lost his welterweight championship to Yaroslav Amosov during that streak as well.

Where Can Lima Go From Here?

There are still a lot of questions about how the PFL is going to make everything work. Continuing to hold separate PFL and Bellator events is going to be confusing for MMA fans who enjoy tracking who the champion is and who they could fight next.

While the PFL vs. Bellator supercard last February was fun, it is hard to keep up that kind of energy when everyone is now under the same banner. Lima, 36, will likely want to avoid committing to the PFL’s format of having to fight four times in a year to compete for a $1 million grand prize.

However, this is a tough time for MMA fighters. There aren’t many real enticing options in the United States beside the UFC and PFL. It is unlikely that Lima, who has lost four of his past five fights, would still be an appealing ad for the UFC at this stage.

That’s likely why Lima went back to the PFL. He’s just hoping to get some good opportunities before it is time for him to retire. Lima has proven he still has a desire to fight. Fighting up a weight class should help him extend his career since he no longer has to worry about cutting weight.

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By Dean McHugh.