Manager explains Gegard Mousasi’s frustration over UFC 176 cancelation

The UFC’s decision to cancel UFC 176 left co-headliner Gegard Mousasi a little frustrated.

Mousasi, who was scheduled to fight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles, took to Facebook to voice his displeasure with the way yesterday’s news broke:

Mousasifb_medium

On Wednesday, Mousasi’s manager Nima Safapour explained his client’s stance:

“Zuffa reached out to us in advance shortly before the media became aware that the event was postponed,” he said. “However, due to the time zone differences between Holland and Vegas, combined with how quickly the news hit the media, there was an honest miscommunication between the parties.

“Any fighter is going to feel frustrated that an event has been canceled because a lot goes into these fights on a lot of different levels. Especially when one is competing at an elite level within the Top 5 world rankings. We are working on it with Zuffa, and believe we will have everything resolved shortly.  We understand it is a challenging situation for everyone.”

According to UFC president Dana White, the fight has been moved to the Sept. 5 Fight Night in Connecticut, however, it’s unclear at this time whether it will be the main event or co-main event.

Mousasi beat Souza at DREAM.6 in 2008 via first-round upkick knockout.

The UFC’s decision to cancel UFC 176 left co-headliner Gegard Mousasi a little frustrated.

Mousasi, who was scheduled to fight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles, took to Facebook to voice his displeasure with the way yesterday’s news broke:

Mousasifb_medium

On Wednesday, Mousasi’s manager Nima Safapour explained his client’s stance:

“Zuffa reached out to us in advance shortly before the media became aware that the event was postponed,” he said. “However, due to the time zone differences between Holland and Vegas, combined with how quickly the news hit the media, there was an honest miscommunication between the parties.

“Any fighter is going to feel frustrated that an event has been canceled because a lot goes into these fights on a lot of different levels. Especially when one is competing at an elite level within the Top 5 world rankings. We are working on it with Zuffa, and believe we will have everything resolved shortly.  We understand it is a challenging situation for everyone.”

According to UFC president Dana White, the fight has been moved to the Sept. 5 Fight Night in Connecticut, however, it’s unclear at this time whether it will be the main event or co-main event.

Mousasi beat Souza at DREAM.6 in 2008 via first-round upkick knockout.