Gegard Mousasi will stop at nothing to stand out in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight division. Not only has Mousasi entered a battle of verbal threats with mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Conor McGregor, but the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion has called out a slue of divisional standouts after cruising past Vitor Belfort at UFC 204 earlier this month.
Well, it now seems as if Mousasi is adding yet another name to his UFC hit list, recently setting his sights on former UFC welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz.
“With Vitor Belfort, they didn’t give me the fight because I asked for it,” said Mousasi in an interview with MMA Junkie. “They gave that fight to me because Vitor Belfort asked for that fight. So, hopefully, Nick Diaz is going to ask for that fight, and then I can fight him.”
Diaz, who is ready to come back after serving a lengthy suspension for testing positive for marijuana use, has not fought inside of the Octagon since headlining UFC 183 opposite Anderson Silva. Ironically, that was the first time Diaz had ever competed at 185 pounds in his MMA career. But that doesn’t mean the 170-pound standout wouldn’t move up to middleweight again and enjoy another easy weight cut.
It seems unlikely that Mousasi will be the guy to draw Diaz in his return to the Octagon, especially since “Dreamcatcher” just nabbed a headlining spot opposite Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 99 on Nov. 19, but it’s nice to see Mousasi putting his name out there and attempting to gain more promotional momentum.