Middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi looks for his fifth win in his last six fights when he battles former UFC champion Vitor Belfort Saturday at UFC 204. The pair were slated to fight back in 2009 for the defunct Affliction promotion, but the matchup never materialized. Despite Mousasi claiming that a win over Belfort wouldn’t boost him up the middleweight division, this was a matchup he thought made sense.
“He’s ranked No. 5 [in the UFC rankings] and I needed a fight,” Mousasi told Sportsnet. “He’s a legend, a well-known name. [With losing two of his last three fights] he’s trying to get back up. It makes sense for him to fight me at this stage.”
Mousasi (39-6-2) is coming off an impressive first-round TKO victory over Thiago Santos at UFC 200 this past July. It was an important victory for the 31-year-old who had been criticized by fans and more importantly the UFC for not finishing his opponents. However, as Mousasi explains, the outcome always depends on the opponent.
“I [wasn’t] looking for the finish against Santos, but the finish came,” Mousasi explained. “Every opponent has a different style of fighting. Some fights I fight more aggressive because I feel that’s the way to fight that opponent. Some fights, I just fight carefully because the guy might want to take me down or control me on the ground so I fight differently. I just need to fight the way I need to fight to win.”
Heading into his bout with Belfort, Mousasi is confident he can carry the momentum from his last win. While Belfort is known for his knockout power, Mousasi, a former K1 kickboxer, believes he has the tools to hand the Brazilian his second straight knockout loss.
“I match up very well against him. He’s a standup guy and I’m a standup guy. I have no worries that I can handle myself in the standup field. My prediction is a first round finish, TKO or KO.”
Assuming he earns a victory Saturday with little to no damage, the former Strikeforce champion was adamant about returning to the cage immediately following this co-main event matchup.
“I want at the end of the year, December. If they give me a fight very soon I’ll take it. But if they let me wait two or three months of course I’m not going to do that. They have to give me a fight very soon if they want to keep me active, otherwise I’m going to take a break. I would love to fight Derek Brunson or maybe we’ll lobby for Uriah Hall rematch or Anderson Silva.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHcWraf9hRE
If the timing works out, the UFC 206 card in Toronto on Dec. 10 could be an ideal situation for Mousasi. Interestingly enough the former DREAM champion fought three times in Canada earlier in his career back in 2007-2008. When asked about competing at UFC 206, the Dutch-Armenian middleweight was interested but mentioned that it would have to be the right situation.
“Toronto would be nice. Canada is good, but it depends on the opponent, it depends who they give me. I just want to fight as soon as possible.”
