There aren’t many things that Gegard Mousasi hasn’t accomplished in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. A former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Cage Warriors Middleweight champion, DREAM Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Champion, Gegard Mousasi is a legend of the sport.
Although he has accomplished a lot in his Mixed Martial Arts career, Gegard Mousasi has somewhat flown under the radar of many fans for the majority of his 13 year MMA career. He doesn’t hold the household name that a Dan Henderson or Wanderlei Silva has, but he has almost equal the amount of MMA accomplishments and championships.
Shy, awkward and softly spoken is how many people would have described the personality of Gegard Mousasi over the years. All of which may have contributed to the lack to hype around a fighter with such Mixed Martial Arts accomplishments and championship credentials.
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This all changed one night in London, England. 8 fights in to his UFC career, Gegard Mousasi defeated Thales Leites via Decision in what was perceived as a very lacklustre contest. The English crowd let their frustrations be known, which Mousasi took exception to. Upon hearing the judges decision, Gegard marched around the octagon, taunting and flipping off the English crowd as they booed in frustration. Witnessing the usually shy natured Gegard Mousasi flipping off the fans was a fascinating, but very refreshing prospect. This was the beginning of the personality rebirth of Gegard Mousasi.
Upon defeating Leites in London. Mousasi got on the microphone and called out Vitor Belfort, giving the English crowd a piece of his mind in the process. “I could have gone and taken unnecessary chances and lose because I want to please the crowd, they don’t pay the bills – well, maybe, I don’t know” Mousasi stated during his post fight speech.
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Since the introduction of USADA drug testing, Gegard Mousasi has been very critical and outspoken about fighters who have previously been caught using performance enhancing drugs. Labelling Lyoto Machida a “cheater” and accusing Machida of greasing during their 2014 fight, in which Gegard lost via Decision.
“I would like to fight Michael Bisping, Vitor Belfort… Machida, when he’s not on steroids and he’s not greased up,” Mousasi said. “No, because it’s true. The guy was f*cking greased up, people now are surely going to say that I’m a bad loser, but the guy didn’t look normal for a f*cking 38-year-old, and greased up all the way!” he added. “He was greased up. Once he sweat, it was greasy. Even Luke Rockhold said that he was greased up when they fought.” Gegard told BloodyElbow.com in a previous interview regarding the Lyoto Machida fight.
This past weekend in Manchester, England. Gegard Mousasi had one of his wishes granted, as he defeated Vitor Belfort by second round TKO as a result of ground strikes in the co-main event of UFC 204. It was a very dominating performance for Mousasi, which is sure to catapult him up the UFC Middleweight rankings. This dominating victory became one of the main focal points in fan discussion surrounding the aftermath of UFC 204.
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Upon recently becoming an outspoken personality, and defeating various MMA legends in Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and even UFC Heavyweight contender Mark Hunt. It now seems that the majority of Mixed Martial Arts fans have been able to gain a deeper appreciation for what Gegard Mousasi has achieved in his career, a career that seems far from over.
Gegard Mousasi is currently 5-1 in his last 6 fights, and riding an impressive 3 fight winning streak. This superb form has put him on the cusp of breaking in to the Top 5 in the UFC Middleweight division, and in prime position to make a potential run at a UFC Middleweight Title shot in the near future.
Adding a UFC Championship to an already extensive list of championships and accomplishments would cement Gegard Mousasi’s place one of the greatest Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Fighters in Mixed Martial Arts history. This would make for an ideal ending to the career of a legend, and a fitting conclusion to the Rebirth of Gegard Mousasi.