Yesterday (Mon., July 10, 2017), highly touted UFC middleweight contender and former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi announced on The MMA Hour that he had signed a six-fight deal with Bellator MMA. Although big name UFC fighters continue to test the free agency market, Mousasi’s jump to Bellator comes as a bit of a surprising one, […]
Yesterday (Mon., July 10, 2017), highly touted UFC middleweight contender and former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi announced on The MMA Hour that he had signed a six-fight deal with Bellator MMA.
Although big name UFC fighters continue to test the free agency market, Mousasi’s jump to Bellator comes as a bit of a surprising one, as the 31-year-old is riding a five-fight winning streak, while still being in the prime of his career. He most recently defeated former champion Chris Weidman at UFC 210, and he was likely just a win or two away from a UFC title shot.
Nevertheless, Mousasi will reunite with Scott Coker and continue his career under the Bellator banner where a plethora of intriguing fights will await him.
With that being said, let’s go ahead and take a look at seven of the most exciting fights Mousasi can take in his new promotion:
A Middleweight Title Fight Against Rafael Carvalho
Starting out in Mousasi’s natural division, a middleweight title fight against reigning Bellator champion Rafael Carvlhao would be an interesting option for Mousasi, and in my opinion, a logical option for “The Dreamcatcher’s” debut.
Mousasi is without question one of the very best middleweights in the world, and likely the most accomplished fighter in Bellator’s growing middleweight division, which is why he’s deserving of a shot at gold.
Carvalho has won 14 consecutive bouts since losing his professional debut, while running through Bellator’s middleweight division with five straight victories inside the Bellator cage. He most recently scored a knockout victory over veteran Melvin Manhoef, which marked the 11th KO victory of his career, and would represent a solid challenge to welcome Mousasi to Bellator.
Bellator President Scott Coker sounds enthusiastic about signing one of the best middleweights in the world. The last fight under Mousasi’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract was against Chris Weidman back in April. “The Dreamcather” decided to fight out his contract and won his fifth straight bout. Mousasi’s decision paid off as he is now […]
Bellator President Scott Coker sounds enthusiastic about signing one of the best middleweights in the world. The last fight under Mousasi’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract was against Chris Weidman back in April. “The Dreamcather” decided to fight out his contract and won his fifth straight bout. Mousasi’s decision paid off as he is now […]
Bellator President Scott Coker sounds enthusiastic about signing one of the best middleweights in the world. The last fight under Mousasi’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract was against Chris Weidman back in April. “The Dreamcather” decided to fight out his contract and won his fifth straight bout. Mousasi’s decision paid off as he is now […]
Bellator President Scott Coker sounds enthusiastic about signing one of the best middleweights in the world. The last fight under Mousasi’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract was against Chris Weidman back in April. “The Dreamcather” decided to fight out his contract and won his fifth straight bout. Mousasi’s decision paid off as he is now […]
Bellator MMA has been scooping up UFC fighters left and right over the last two years, but they just pulled off their biggest roster move to date. On Monday morning, top UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi announced that his days with the promotion ar…
Bellator MMA has been scooping up UFC fighters left and right over the last two years, but they just pulled off their biggest roster move to date. On Monday morning, top UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi announced that his days with the promotion are done and that he is now a member of the Viacom-owned company.
Though Bellator has scooped up a number of good names—including Rory MacDonald, Benson Henderson and Ryan Bader—Mousasi is easily their biggest get to date.
A former champion in DREAM and Strikeforce, Mousasi amassed a 9-3 record in the UFC, taking victories over the likes of Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort and Chris Weidman. He entered free agency riding a strong five-fight winning streak (four wins of which were knockouts), and he owns a legitimate claim to being the best middleweight fighter in the world.
Unfortunately, while this is a big play by Bellator, this wasn’t necessarily a big surprise. Despite Mousasi’s in-cage skills, UFC President Dana White was consistently dismissive of his drawing power, which seems to be the sole factor the UFC uses in contract negotiations these days. “Dan Henderson has been in the game forever,” he said in April (h/t BloodyElbow.com). “Mark Hunt has an entire country behind him. When we do fights in Australia, he sells out arenas. Gegard Mousasi isn’t selling out arenas.”
While Mousasi didn’t necessarily sell out arenas in the UFC, the promotion never put him in a position to do so. The UFC held its first show in Mousasi’s home country, the Netherlands, just last year, and Mousasi was not attached to the event.
With Bellator actively putting on more cards in Europe and the UFC dialing back its international efforts, Mousasi is a valuable commodity for the promotion. While details about his debut are not known quite yet, all signs are pointing to a middleweight title bout with Rafael Carvalho later this year.
Look for an official announcement at one of Bellator’s upcoming events.
Top-ranked middleweight Gegard Mousasi’s contract with the UFC ran out after his controversial UFC 208 win over Chris Weidman, and it was unknown if “The Dreamcatcher” would re-sign with the notoriously stingy biggest MMA outfit in the world. With a huge fight potentially looming in the octagon, however, it appeares that Mousasi did not take […]
Top-ranked middleweight Gegard Mousasi’s contract with the UFC ran out after his controversial UFC 208 win over Chris Weidman, and it was unknown if “The Dreamcatcher” would re-sign with the notoriously stingy biggest MMA outfit in the world.
With a huge fight potentially looming in the octagon, however, it appeares that Mousasi did not take too kindly to the UFC’s offer. Mousasi has signed with Bellator MMA according to a report from Chamatkar Sandu:
I'm hearing from a reliable source that Gegard Mousasi has signed with Bellator MMA. It's one source but I'm trying to get confirmation now.
The news broke early on Monday, just two days after Robert Whittaker won the interim title in Mousasi’s very own middleweight division.
Also adding a trail of breadcrumbs to this conclusion is that Mousasi was a frequent and vocal detractor of many aspects of the UFC. Couple that with a solid working relationship with Bellator’s president Scott Coker (Mousasi was Coker’s light heavyweight champion for a while under the Strikeforce banner), and there you have it.
Bellator has certainly picked up the best fighter in all of their transactions with the UFC. Fights with Hisaki Kato, Rafael Carvalho, Rory MacDonald, or even Bellator’s top 205-pounders has some serious intrigue, so there is no dirth of talent for Mousasi to prey upon as he begins this new chapter in his long and well-travelled mixed martial arts career.
Mousasi is currently riding an impressive five fight win streak, with finishes over Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort, Uriah Hall, and Thiago Santos, and boasts a 42-6 MMA record at his relatively young age of 31.
Who are you excited to see Mousasi fight in his Bellator debut? Does he remain at middleweight, or does he try his luck again back at 205 pounds?
No one can dispute that 2017 has been a down year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship thus far. There have been a few bright spots like UFC 211 and the highly anticipated battle between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway at UFC 212, but they largely been overshadowed by mediocre Fight Night cards, some with head […]
No one can dispute that 2017 has been a down year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship thus far.
There have been a few bright spots like UFC 211 and the highly anticipated battle between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway at UFC 212, but they largely been overshadowed by mediocre Fight Night cards, some with head scratching main events.
Things are finally looking up with the McGregor vs. Mayweather super-fight getting finalized. Next month’s UFC 213 also looks outstanding, with two title fights and a bevy of other exciting scraps.
But before the good times start rolling again, there will be another entry to the crappy event list added this weekend. With that in mind, let’s look back at the eight worst bookings of 2017 so far.
1. UFC Fight Night 103: Penn vs. Rodriguez
No list of cringe-worthy bookings would be complete without the epic mismatch between dynamic rising featherweight star Yair Rodriguez and all-time great BJ Penn. The two were set to do battle at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 15, but it wasn’t much of a fight.
Penn was making his return to fighting after a two-and-a-half-year retirement, taking his second-ever fight at featherweight. Various opponent switches, injuries, and suspensions delayed his return by nearly a year, and left him with “Pantera” as his comeback foe. Rodriguez, meanwhile, was undefeated in the UFC and regarded as one of the most promising prospects in the 145-pound division.
Penn looked better initially than he had in his last fight, an embarrassing and perplexing third loss to Frankie Edgar. But the positives wouldn’t last long. The high-flying “Pantera” hurt Penn with a kick to the body in the first round that seemed to sap the Hawaiian’s resolve. Free to unleash the full breadth of his arsenal, Rodriguez teed off, nearly finishing Penn at the end of the frame.
He would mop up Penn early in the second. Another kick dropped “The Prodigy”, and Rodriguez finished him off with ground and pound. The victory gave the exciting young Mexican the most high-profile scalp of his career but did little to test him. It also served as a humiliating setback for Penn. It was a predictable outcome that nevertheless did little to elevate either fighter, more sad than anything else.
2. UFC 208: Holm vs. De Randamie
The premiere MMA organization’s debut in Brooklyn was supposed to be a watershed moment for New York MMA and the UFC. Instead, it was a roundly mocked debacle.
With Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey on the sidelines for 2017, the UFC needed (and still needs) all of the star power it can acquire or manufacture. One star that had shown promise as a draw, particularly in her native Brazil, was Cris “Cyborg” Justino. The former Strikeforce and Invicta FC featherweight champion had two catchweight bouts in the UFC, winning each by first-round knockout, and the company planned to launch its own women’s 145-pound division to showcase her talents.
But negotiations with the cagey “Cyborg” broke down, with the Brazilian insisting that she would not be ready to fight on the Brooklyn card. Frustrated with Justino, and needing a headliner for the pay-per-view (PPV) UFC 208, the UFC brass decided to move forward with their featherweight plans without her.
Enter former bantamweight champion Holly Holm and fellow kickboxing champ Germaine de Randamie. The UFC hoped to cash in on the notoriety Holm still possessed following her earth-shattering knockout of Rousey, despite the fact that she had lost two straight since. De Randamie had little star power of her own. She simply had the good fortune of being a big bantamweight coming off a win with a striking-oriented style that would (in theory) provide a favorable matchup for Holm.
Fans and pundits jeered the fight and the card in general. A UFC women’s featherweight championship fight that did not involve “Cyborg” was laughable; the winner would never be regarded as the best 145er with Justino still lurking.
The fight and its aftermath only served to intensify the mockery. De Randamie won a controversial decision marred by multiple fouls for striking Holm after the bell, fouls that were not punished by the referee. She has since ducked and then flat out refused to accept “Cyborg” has her first challenger, risking having the belt stripped.
Bellator 
