For the first time in a long time, Douglas Lima feels healthy going into a fight.
A former three-time Bellator welterweight champion, Lima (32-11 MMA, 14-7 BMMA) will move up to middleweight for the first time Friday when he takes on Costello Van Steenis (14-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 296 co-main event, which takes place at Accor Arena in Paris and airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
It’s a crucial fight for Lima. Not only is he changing weight classes, but he enters on a four-fight losing skid, prior to which he’d never lost consecutive fights. It’s a big moment for his career, and he thinks the move up will pay dividends in turning the tide.
