Gegard Mousasi made himself even harder to ignore when discussing top middleweights with a controversial second-round TKO win over former UFC champion Chris Weidman in the co-main event of UFC 210 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday.
The All-American got off to a great start. After a brief feeling-out process from both fighters, Weidman dumped Mousasi on the mat off a single-leg takedown and worked for a choke. Although he was denied the submission, it set the pattern for the first round: Weidman takedown, minimal ground-and-pound, Mousasi working to his feet only to get taken down again.
The two early takedowns were why Mike Chiappetta of Bleacher Report gave the first round to Weidman:
The second round is where the fight moved from legitimately good to crazy.
Mousasi came out firing, overwhelming Weidman against the fence with a barrage of strikes. But an ill-advised takedown attempt stifled his momentum.
As the bout continued, the new rules that state a fighter must have two hands on the ground to be considered down came into play. Mousasi hit Weidman with two knees, and while the first was legal, the second appeared to be illegal with Weidman lifting his hand off the mat just as the knee arrived on his forehead.
At first, the fight was stopped to give Weidman time to recover; however, after replay, the knee was ruled legal and the doctor stopped the fight.
Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report voiced his displeasure with the decision:
However, Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports highlighted its controversial nature by declaring it the right call.
Weidman gave his final thoughts on the decision, via MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani:
It was an unsatisfying conclusion to what was shaping up to be a great bout.
The win solidifies a hot streak for the Dutch kickboxer. Mousasi has now won five straight in the division, but a name like Weidman’s adds legitimacy to those numbers. His list of previous vanquished foes in that time includes Uriah Hall (who he lost to previously) and Vitor Belfort, but Weidman is the only one who is currently ranked in the top 10 of the division.
Regardless, it always feels like Mousasi is the forgotten man among middleweights. But the 31-year-old is doing his best to rectify that, in and out of the cage.
Mousasi has become increasingly vocal about his place in the organization and continues to back it up with strong performances. He hasn’t shied away from declaring he’s deserving of a title shot, but realizes the UFC might not have that on its radar.
“I feel the same way (deserve title shot), but, Dan Henderson fought for the title and now GSP is fighting for the title, Yoel Romero is next,” Mousasi said, per Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania (via MMA H.E.A.T.). “I don’t know, I just need to win so I will concentrate on that first. Do I feel I deserve to with my career, especially if I get this win? Yes.”
Now that he has the win, it’ll be interesting to see what the UFC does with him. Even with a career that is marked by championship runs in Cage Warriors, DREAM and Strikeforce, he still doesn’t have the same name recognition as other contenders ahead of him.
What’s interesting is where Weidman goes from here. At this point, he’s the epitome of just how quickly things can turn on an athlete in this sport.
After starting his career 13-0 with two wins against one of the greatest fighters of all time in Anderson Silva, he’s now on a three-fight losing streak. It makes him a 13-3 fighter who might be done contending for titles.
It’s hard to envision a turnaround for the 32-year-old when it’s uncertain if a guy like Mousasi will even get a title shot.
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