A few days ago, the former UFC Welterweight kingpin, Georges St - Pierre told Bisping that he would fight him post-October ’17. While this could force Bisping to find a new opponent, the UFC Middleweight Champion could opt to sit out till GSP morphs back into fighting shape, from his current ‘dad - bod’.
However, that could leave a few contenders out in the cold, potentially leading to a mutiny. While ‘Jacare’ Souza recently signed a new contract with the UFC, Gegard Mousasi isn’t in a hurry to commit to the company.
Mousasi is coming off a dominant victory over the former champion, Chris Weidman. The last three fights have seen Mousasi defeat two former champions, and it’s no wonder ‘The Dreamcatcher’ is one of the most underrated fighters in the division.
This has seen Mousasi change his perspective regarding the showmanship aspect of the fight game. Mousasi is a veteran, and the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion has changed his nonchalant approach to fights.
Mousasi recently came down to Singapore to promote the UFC Singapore event on June 17th, headlined by Holly Holm and Bethe Correia. I caught up with Mousasi for an exclusive interview, where he talked about his controversial fight with Weidman, re-signing with the UFC and more.
You’re coming off a dominant yet controversial win over Weidman. With all the talk going around with Chris, can you tell us if you’ve spoken to Dana regarding a rematch with Weidman?
Mousasi: I don’t want to fight Weidman at this point, because I’m now moving towards the title, and he now has three losses. So fighting Weidman doesn’t make sense for me. At some stage in my career, if he wants to have a rematch - sure, I’ll give it to him, but at this moment, I’m looking forward to somebody above me - Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero, or Whittaker.
You’re down in Singapore, which could imply that you’ve signed a new contract with the UFC. Can you confirm the same, and if so, can you give us the specifics about the new contract?
Mousasi: Well, I haven’t signed it yet. It takes three months to be able to see what’s in the free market, and what my real value is. At this point, I want to sign with the UFC, and UFC wants to sign me. So it’s all - it all comes down to the negotiations, and what the offer will be.
So we both - UFC wants to sign and I want to sign. I’m waiting for the contract and I want to fight in September in Holland. So that’s what’s next for me.
We spoke before your fight with Weidman, and as you said, you adapted to his style and looked comfortable inside the Octagon. Can you tell us if anything he did in the cage was unexpected or took you by surprise?
Mousasi: I worked a lot on the takedown defence, and he still took me down. That surprised me a bit, but he always starts fast. He (expends) a lot of energy in the first round, and if you don’t break, your time will come. He won the first round against Luke Rockhold, he won against Yoel Romero in the first round. He also won against me in the first round.
So he does that a lot. He didn’t damage me, he simply has good takedowns. Other than that, I was stronger physically, conditioning-wise I was better. Striking-wise, I was better; he just got the control - he didn’t have control, but he just took me down. That was the only thing that surprised me - he was able to get those takedowns.
I was also a little bit nervous. It wasn’t the way I should’ve fought, but I just went at my pace, and he got tired. Everybody gets tired.
You also told me during the conference call that you still think you’d be a fight or two away from taking on the champion with a win over Chris. Do you still feel that way after your dominant victory over the ex - champ?
Mousasi: Well, I still have to win another fight, I think. Till then - it’s Yoel Romero next (who will fight for the title), so I have to take another fight and risk everything. So, at this moment, I’m not really looking forward to, or not confident that I will get the title shot. I feel like I already deserve it, not just because I’m coming off a couple of wins; during the course of my career, I’ve had a lot of fights.
I earned my shot with this fight, but, hey, I don’t know. Let them (UFC) be fair, and let them book my fight. But I believe one more fight - if I win that, and they don’t give me the title shot then — what can I do? Again it’s not in my hands, it’s who is more popular and who talks the most (that gets the title shots).
This will be the first time UFC returns to the Asian continent in nearly two years. What can the fans expect from the upcoming Fight Night?
Mousasi: Well I think from the first fight to the main event, it’ll be good fights. People can enjoy the main event; if the main event is not good, the other fights will be good. That’s the good (thing) about a UFC event - they have so many good fights. And there will be a lot of good fights.
Finally, do you have any message for the Indian fans?
Mousasi: My message for the Indian fans - I hope (that the) UFC comes to India one day, and people can experience the show. I think once you see and feel the UFC events (live), you would tend to want to see more. And I hope I can put on some good fights for them.
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