Tag: gegard mousasi

Gegard Mousasi Secures Controversial TKO Victory vs. Chris Weidman at UFC 210

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…

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. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gegard Mousasi Stops Chris Weidman In Controversial Finish

Gegard Mousasi (42-6-2) defeated Chris Weidman (13-3) and a ton of controversy followed. Weidman, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder, took on Mousasi in the co-main event of UFC 210. Mousasi, who is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, looked to secure the biggest win in his run under the UFC banner.

The post Gegard Mousasi Stops Chris Weidman In Controversial Finish appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Gegard Mousasi (42-6-2) defeated Chris Weidman (13-3) and a ton of controversy followed.

Weidman, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder, took on Mousasi in the co-main event of UFC 210. Mousasi, who is a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, looked to secure the biggest win in his run under the UFC banner.

Mousasi grazed Weidman with a right hand. Weidman connected with a jab. “All-American” had his head kick caught, but avoided danger. He went for a single leg takedown and got it. Weidman looked for a choke, but Mousasi thwarted it and stood back up. A leg kick found the mark for an off balanced Weidman. He took “The Dreamcatcher” down again.

Weidman pressed his opponent against the fence, but the two broke off. Weidman landed a right hand. As Mousasi was moving forward, Weidman went for another takedown. “The Dreamcatcher” stuffed it. The round ended with Weidman in top control off a slip.

A high kick from Weidman was blocked. A jab landed for Mousasi and he had relentless pressure. He then went for a takedown of his own. Weidman stuffed it and dumped Mousasi to the canvas. He moved to full mount. Mousasi gave up his back. The two scrambled and stood back up.

Time was called, Mousasi landed what looked to be an illegal knee to the head. Color commentator Joe Rogan pointed out that the second knee strike may have been legal because Weidman’s hands were up just before Mousasi landed a knee. Referee Dan Miragliotta recognized it as a legal knee, but there is no replay in New York and Weidman shouldn’t be given five minutes. Despite that, the doctors were inside the Octagon.

Ultimately, the fight was stopped and Mousasi was declared the winner by technical knockout.

Final Result: Gegard Mousasi def. Chris Weidman via TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage) – R2, 3:13

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UFC 210 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Cormier vs. Johnson 2

UFC 210 is a nice card overall, but the crown jewel is a light heavyweight title rematch between current champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. 
The first fight was an epic back-and-forth battle for the title abandoned by Jon “Bones…

UFC 210 is a nice card overall, but the crown jewel is a light heavyweight title rematch between current champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. 

The first fight was an epic back-and-forth battle for the title abandoned by Jon “Bones” Jones. So while the two wait for the return of Bones from a one-year doping suspension, the powers that be saw it fit to bless fans with another encounter between these two powerful behemoths of the 205-pound division. 

The card, hosted in Buffalo, New York, at the KeyBank Center, will also feature one of the state’s most successful fighters in Chris Weidman. The All-American will take on Gegard Mousasi in an important middleweight scrap. 

Here’s a look at the complete card along with the latest odds from Odds Shark going into fight night and a closer look at some of the biggest fights on the card:

 

Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira

The card kicks off with a lightweight bout between fighters who find themselves outside the lightweight rankings. 

Will Brooks fell a few ranks for reasons that might not have been entirely fair. The former Bellator champion had his nine-fight win streak erased by Alex Oliveira after “Cowboy” came into the bout 5.5 pounds overweight. 

In a fight that had a lot of clinching and wrestling involved before Brooks was finished in the third round, that size advantage can’t be overstated. 

This time, Brooks takes on a different Oliveira in Charles. Rather than a massive lightweight who primarily fights at welterweight, “Do Bronx” is a former featherweight, though it was often a struggle for him to make that cut. 

Where this bout will be interesting is in the transitions on the ground. Brooks has a mauling top game, but Oliveira‘s submission game is slick. Brooks could look to take Oliveira down and work his ground-and-pound, but he could easily be ensnared in a choke if he isn’t careful. 

Ultimately, Patrick Wyman of Bleacher Report believes that Brooks is simply on another level from his opponent in this one. 

 

Looking at what both have done in their career, that’s the easy case to make. Brooks could easily avoid what Oliveira is best at by keeping the Brazilian’s takedowns at bay and forcing a stand-up bout. Brooks wins easily in that department and should get the decision. 

Brooks by decision

 

Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi

Given the climate of the middleweight division right now, neither of these fighters can really afford a loss. 

Michael Bisping is still the champion and is waiting on Georges St-Pierre to set a date. The obvious next fighter in line after that is Yoel Romero. At the rate that all of the guys involved fight, it could be a long time before the next person gets a crack at the belt. 

That’s a scary place to be for Gegard Mousasi because a shot at the championship is what he’s been pining for. He feels like a win here will prove that he deserves that chance but knows there’s a chance it still might not happen even with with a victory.

“Now if I win, I’m going to have to put everything on the line again and if I win then maybe I’m next. And still maybe,” Mousasi told the Fight Society Podcast (h/t Damon Martin of Fox Sports). “Because who knows what fight they’re going to make after this. Like I said, I deserve this.”

Weidman won’t go away easily, though. His back is truly against the wall in this fight. The once 13-0 fighter now finds himself at 13-2. Back-to-back losses to Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero leave his contender status in question. 

A loss to Mousasi would certainly be an end to Weidman‘s title hopes for an extended period of time. 

Fortunately for Weidman, this is a better matchup for him than Rockhold and Romero. Both Rockhold and Romero are the physical freaks of the division. Rockhold has superior length, and Romero had the wrestling ability to out-grapple even Weidman. 

Mousasi‘s streak has been impressive recently, but he hasn’t fought many fighters who are looking to turn things into a grappling exchange since Jacare Souza. 

In that fight, Souza took him down four times en route to a submission loss. 

Mousasi has certainly improved, but a desperate Weidman is not an easy fighter to beat. 

Weidman by decision

 

Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson

The last time these two fought, it was an awesome testament to the power of the human will. 

Where most people are vaporized by an overhand right from Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Cormier took one, recovered and went on to win the fight by submission. 

Now, two years later, Rumble will get the opportunity to land that right hand again. Cormier has defeated Anderson Silva and Alexander Gustafsson in the interim while Rumble has racked up three more knockout wins against Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira.

The rules of engagement here are pretty simple: If Cormier can survive the early onslaught—like he did in their first fight—he will successfully defend the title. Johnson has devastating power, but not much cardio. 

If Cormier gets tagged by Rumble in the same way that he did in the first fight, he’s in serious trouble. 

Cormier defeated Gustafsson and Silva, but it wasn’t without cost. Cormier absorbed 120 significant strikes from the Swede in a split decision win and was rocked by The Spider in their non-title bout at UFC 200. 

Those are all signs that an aging Cormier might not have the chin and willpower that once carried him through the early storms against Rumble. 

Johnson is a front-runner, but he’s among the best front-runners in MMA. Cormier‘s defense isn’t strong enough to guarantee that he won’t get tagged early in the fight, and the odds that someone survives two bombs from Rumble isn’t a gamble worth taking. 

Expect Rumble to catch Cormier early and finish the job this time. 

Johnson by first-round TKO

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 210: Cormier vs. Johnson 2 Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

Those weigh-ins sure went smoothly, didn’t they?
Friday’s weigh-ins for UFC 210 will go down as the most bizarre, exciting and controversial in UFC history for a number of reasons. For one, both Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier, the two light heavywe…

Those weigh-ins sure went smoothly, didn’t they?

Friday’s weigh-ins for UFC 210 will go down as the most bizarre, exciting and controversial in UFC history for a number of reasons. For one, both Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier, the two light heavyweights in the main event on Saturday night, didn’t show up until four minutes before the cutoff time.

Johnson, who has had a tumultuous history cutting weight, came in 1.2 pounds under the 205-pound limit. Now, remember the number 1.2. Because that’s exactly the amount of weight Cormier magically cut in the space of two minutes after weighing in at 206.2 the first time he hit the scales.

Call it a scale malfunction, Cormier’s fast metabolism/bowel movements or some sneaky behavior holding down the towel to balance out his weight. It doesn’t matter. The fight is on, and a light heavyweight championship fight is on the card in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday.

 

 

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Pearl Gonzalez 

Speaking of a weird day of weigh-ins, perhaps Pearl Gonzalez had the most interesting of all.

Making her UFC debut, Gonzalez stepped on to the scale and made the 115-pound limit. No sweat. But then all of the sudden, she was pulled from the card. Why, you might ask? Gonzalez has breast implants, and that didn’t sit well with the NYSAC, even though she told them she had implants before the weigh-in.

 

The fight is back on, though, according to MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi, after the commission overturned its decision to remove Gonzalez from the card shortly after. It was a bizarre day for a lot of fighters, but let’s just be thankful the fights have stayed intact. Now that Gonzalez will be making her UFC debut, it’s unfortunate she has to go up against one the rising prospects in the sport.

Cynthia Calvillo is a wrecking machine. Training out of San Jose, California, with Team Alpha Male, you already know that she’s as tough as they come. And if you watched her first fight for the promotion back at the beginning of March, against Amanda Bobby Cooper at UFC 209, you wouldn’t mess with her.

Calvillo’s grappling is impressive for a fighter with only four pro fights on her resume, but she fights like an aggressive veteran in the Octagon. She is ferocious, but she doesn’t get too ahead of herself. While it’s nice to see Gonzalez back fighting on this card, she won’t last long against Calvillo. 

  

Gegard Mousasi vs. Chris Weidman 

There’s no easy way of saying this, but Chris Weidman needs to win this fight. And the only way he can do that is by taking Gegard Mousasi to the ground and sticking to wrestling.

Mousasi is lethal on his feet and should not be messed with. It remains to be seen whether Weidman will be gun-shy shooting for takedowns after Yoel Romero blew his forehead to pieces back at UFC 205 with a flying knee, but the All-American doesn’t have any more options.

The Dreamcatcher is an impressive striker who has developed his all-around game in recent fights. Since this is his last fight on his contract, a lot rides on Mousasi to show up and take care of the former UFC middleweight champion to secure a lucrative deal from the UFC or maybe from another organization.

Mousasi in Bellator has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

With a win, Mousasi moves one step closer to a title shot. That doesn’t say much when you consider the likes of Jacare Souza, Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping and now Georges St-Pierre are floating around the top of the division.

Weidman needs to fight smart and stick to the game plan. He won’t be able to finish Mousasi on the feet, so there’s no point in even trying. If he can’t keep the Dutchman on the canvas for the majority of the fight, then it’s going to be yet another loss for Weidman, who is on a two-fight losing streak.

   

Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson

It’s difficult to get over Friday’s weigh-in, and it’s even more difficult to understand the physics behind pushing down lightly on a towel to lose 1.2 pounds. 

But there is a fight happening, so we’ll try to focus on that.

Cormier isn’t shy about poking fun at Johnson and how he tapped out back in 2015 in their first fight. Johnson tagged Cormier right out of the gate but failed to capitalize on it. Instead, he wasted his energy and stamina looking for knockout punches every time he swung his right hand toward Cormier, who evaded the No. 1 contender with ease. 

The champion will be looking for the same type of fight to happen. Johnson is a one-trick pony, even though he is good at knocking people out—and I would never say that to his face. But if he can’t knock out the champ, then he won’t win. It’s that simple.

It’s no secret that Cormier thinks Johnson lacks that mental fortitude to be a champion, often calling him a quitter and saying how Rumble gave up in their first fight, per Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:

Yes, I do [think the fight will end in the same outcome]. I don’t ever change. He’ll give up. We’ve seen it too many times. And you’re making me be kinda mean to this guy when that’s not who I am to him, but it’s the truth. You can point to it, [Josh] Koscheck and me and Vitor [Belfort] and all these. It’s only the truth. I’m only speaking the truth, and here’s the thing, I’ll say it in front of him too. It’s not like I won’t say this in front of Anthony Johnson.

The champ has a point, but that doesn’t mean he’s always right. If Cormier can withstand a barrage of strikes in the first round like he did two years ago, then he will retain his title. The key will be avoiding Johnson’s explosive right hand, which is a lot easier said than done. But if anyone knows how to defeat Rumble in the Octagon, Cormier is the man to look to.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gegard Mousasi Says Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather is ‘The Stupidest Fight Ever’

Gegard Mousasi is not a fan of the potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match-up. Tomorrow night (April 8), Mousasi will fight out his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract against Chris Weidman in the co-main event of UFC 210. The two are set to do battle inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. With […]

Gegard Mousasi is not a fan of the potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match-up. Tomorrow night (April 8), Mousasi will fight out his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract against Chris Weidman in the co-main event of UFC 210. The two are set to do battle inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. With […]

UFC 210 Embedded Episode 5

UFC 210 is one day away and the fifth episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel. In the episode, the event’s stars perform for fans at Open Workouts, and middleweights Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman receive gifts from the Buffalo Sabres hockey team. Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier makes his feelings about

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UFC 210 is one day away and the fifth episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel.

In the episode, the event’s stars perform for fans at Open Workouts, and middleweights Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman receive gifts from the Buffalo Sabres hockey team. Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier makes his feelings about spectating former champion Jon Jones clear, then exchanges light-hearted unpleasantries with challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. As weigh-ins draw near, Team Alpha Male strawweight Cynthia Calvillo readies for her second fight in five weeks, while opponent Pearl Gonzalez visits Niagara Falls ahead of her Octagon debut.

You can watch it here:

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