UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi would like to give Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort the chance to redeem himself at UFC Fight Night 78 in Japan.
Belfort is coming off a devastating loss to UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman at UFC 187, and Mousasi believes a matchup with The Phenom is the right move for both of their careers right now.
Mousasi even handpicked the date, taking to Twitter in an attempt to arrange the fight for Sept. 26 in Saitama (h/t MMAJunkie for the clarification):
To Mousasi‘s point, both men have competed extensively in Japan in the past, so a fight there under the UFC banner would likely draw some local interest.
Belfort fought in Japan once under the UFC banner at the 1997 “UFC Japan” event, and he added six more appearances in front of the Japanese crowd from 1999 to 2005 with Pride Fighting Championships.
Mousasi, meanwhile, has fought 13 times in Japan, with the majority of those fights coming under the Pride and Dream banners.
Most recently, Mousasi defeated Hiroshi Izumi at the Dream: Japan GP Final in Tokyo on July 16, 2011, where he defended his Dream Light Heavyweight Championship.
Besides this geographical angle, a Mousasi vs. Belfort matchup is just plain fun.
After his loss to Weidman, Belfort fell to No. 4 in the UFC’s official middleweight rankings, but he’s still one of the most dangerous men in the division because of his polished, powerful and aggressive striking game.
Mousasi, on the other hand, is coming off consecutive victories over Dan Henderson and Costas Philippou, and he is currently ranked seventh in the division.
With a laser-like jab and well-rounded submission game, Mousasi is comfortable anywhere a fight may go, and he could give Belfort problems with his patience and technical savvy. Whereas Belfort represents brute strength and power, Mousasi embodies technique and tranquility, making this an intriguing clash of styles.
While my gut says Belfort would clip Mousasi and become the first man to earn a technical knockout stoppage over him, there’s no denying that the aging Brazilian appeared a little off against Weidman.
Whether that was a product of Weidman‘s brilliance or an actual regression remains to be seen, and a bout against Mousasi could go a long way toward clearing the air on that front.
Who would you favor in this fight? Leave a comment, and we’ll discuss this potential showdown.
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