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Gegard Mousasi presently holds the Bellator Middleweight Championship, and has been making waves in the combat sports community as of late. "The Dreamcatcher" brutally finished former UFC Welterweight Title challenger, and current Bellator Welterweight titlist Rory Macdonald via TKO in the 2nd round of their contest in September of this year.
Prior to "The Moose" parting ways with the UFC, the vast majority of Mixed Martial Arts fans and experts concurred that Mousasi could most definitely win the UFC Middleweight Championship. In fact, despite suffering a few setbacks in the company, Mousasi was considered to be the favorite to dethrone the UFC's current Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker.
Unfortunately, Mousasi and the UFC couldn't reach a deal that they'd both financially agree upon, which in turn resulted in the former jumping ship to Bellator MMA. Well, since having joined the Bellator ranks, Mousasi has competed in 3 bouts -- defeating Alexander Shlemenko by way of Unanimous Decision, and beating Rafael Carvalho via TKO for the Bellator Middleweight Title.
Moreover, Mousasi also fought the organization's reigning Welterweight Champion Rory Macdonald in a "Champion vs. Champion" super-fight -- dominating the latter on the feet, before savagely securing a TKO win over the latter, by way of ground-and-pound.
In light of The Moose's great run as of late, as well as his legendary career, today, we examine why Gegard Mousasi is the best Middleweight in MMA...
#5 Technically-sound striking
There's an old saying in the boxing world: A good right hand will take you around the block, but a good jab will take you around the world. In simple terms, most experts in the martial arts realm teach us that technique is paramount in order to succeed in the fight game.
Make no mistake about it, Gegard Mousasi does have excellent KO power in his strikes. However, it's his impeccable technique and unwavering discipline in the striking department of combat, that truly set him apart from the others at Middleweight.
Considering that, it isn't really surprising that many fight pundits hail Mousasi as the greatest Middleweight of this era...
#4 A near-perfect balance in grappling skills
The reason I've refrained from claiming that Gegard Mousasi is the perfect MMA grappler is because the perfect fighter/perfect grappler does not exist! Much like Mixed Martial Arts legend Georges St-Pierre always says: Perfection is something we must pursue, despite the fact that we know it's an unattainable quality.
Nevertheless, by no means would it be an overstatement to say that Mousasi is one of the most underrated grapplers the sport of MMA has ever seen. The man has excellent wrestling abilities, as evidenced by him securing takedowns on some of the most notorious grapplers in MMA.
Furthermore, his BJJ abilities are severely underappreciated as well, proven by his 12 submission wins against high-level opposition. The key to Mousasi's success in the grappling realm, much like his positive attributes in the striking department, is his adherence to the approach that striking a "balance" between everything in life is essential to succeed...
#3 Mental fortitude
Gegard Mousasi has fought some of the most dangerous fighters in the world, including a fight against legendary iron-chinned KO artist Mark Hunt at Heavyweight! Well, despite having engaged in several deadly clashes of styles with the best in the world, a rather common theme in The Moose's fights has been his stoic demeanour.
In fact, many of Mousasi's former opponents, as well as training partners, have time and again asserted that one of his biggest strengths is his mental fortitude. To put it bluntly, if you happen to be a man who's going to fight Mousasi, it's very difficult to get under The Dreamcatcher's skin.
When examined from a simplistic point of view, it may appear as though he doesn't care about his opponent's hostility or friendliness at all. However, upon closer examination, it's quite apparent that Mousasi seems to have trained his mind as much, if not more, than his body.
It's his stoic demeanour and eerie calm during fights, that truly help him perform like the cool and calculated destroyer he is. Mousasi is a true veteran of the game, who can't be shaken by trash talk, nor can he be intimidated by the danger a given opponent presents to him...
#2 Impressive list of opponents
As noted earlier, Gegard Mousasi has fought some of the greatest fighters the sport of Mixed Martial Arts has ever seen, and more often than not, the man has emerged as the winner by either KO/TKO or submission!
Mousasi's list of victims includes Rory Macdonald, Rafael Carvalho, Alexander Shlemenko, Chris Weidman, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Vitor Belfort, Thiago Santos, Thales Leites, Dan Henderson, Ovince Saint Preux, Mark Hunt, Melvin Manhoef, and Hector Lombard, to name a few.
The very fact that The Moose isn't as well-known the world over, as compared to several other lesser-accomplished fighters; truly baffles me. Nevertheless, the numbers don't lie, and Mousasi's resume will undoubtedly prove to be extremely tough for anyone in the present or future to match.
Furthermore, it's also interesting to note that despite not winning the UFC Middleweight Title, Mousasi is still regarded by many as the greatest 185-pound fighter in the world; primarily because the only thing standing between him and a UFC title shot was his negotiation issues with the UFC higher-ups...Notwithstanding, his legacy is already secure...
#1 Longevity and consistency
Gegard Mousasi's MMA record currently stands at 45 wins, 6 defeats, and 2 draws. The 33-year-old Dutch fighter has lately been asserting that he plans on retiring from professional combat sports competition very soon.
Well, although he's just 33 years of age, it's undeniable that Mousasi is a veteran of the sport who has been around the fight game since he was a child. Moreover, as we'd discussed in the previous page, the quality of opponents this man has faced over the years is truly first-class!
What really stands out in Mousasi's case, is that not only has he enjoyed a long and storied career, but also done so by consistently fighting dangerous opponents. Now that is truly rare, not only in the MMA realm but also in all of combat sports.
Which fighter do you feel beats Gegard Mousasi in the Middleweight division today? Sound off in the comments!
