[Cat--Smasher]

Gegard Mousasi and the frustration of ‘overrated’

"Maybe [because I was overseas]," Mousasi mulls, his thick accent hardly hiding his frustration. "I don't know. I see some fighters lose very badly, but still they get more praise or they're not overrated. They're just good fighters in a lot of people's eyes. But I feel like one loss with King Mo, it made me a very bad fighter somehow.

"When I first fought in the U.S., there was a lot of attention. And then after that loss, there wasn't actually that much interest. I see now, it's experience. I get [more] mature. I understand now things how work."

"The prospect of going to the UFC and maybe fighting one day for the belt, it's motivating. It's something new. So every fight I see now is more important to me because I have a goal, going for the UFC belt."

"I see a lot of fighters getting knocked out, but they still, they praise them a lot more than me. I haven't been beaten badly in any fight. I just lost one fight in, I don't know how many fights. I think people underestimate me. And I feel like now, with the good training I have, why shouldn't I be able to fight these UFC fighters?"

"This is the time. If I don't do it now, maybe I wont get a second chance. I feel like everything is falling into its place."

Gegard Mousasi and the frustration of ?overrated? - MMA Fighting





Gegard Mousasi Wants to Show He is One of the Top Three Light Heavyweights in the World

“It was difficult, but it was also good because I was not motivated, and now I have that drive again. I really want to show everybody what I can do. That’s a plus point and I’m focusing on that,” Mousasi told MMAWeekly Radio about the time off he’s had lately.

“The training I’m doing now, I’m a lot more professional and I really had a good training camp. I had good trainers, good sparring partners, so everything fell in place. It wasn’t like clowning around a lot so it gave me good motivation to show what I can really do.”

When he’s on point, Mousasi remains one of the most dangerous fighters in the world at 205lbs, and if his training really was less than the best before now, he could become an even bigger threat when he moves to the UFC.

With Strikeforce on the verge of closing its doors after Saturday night, Mousasi now has a goal of debuting in the Octagon later this year and showing the world what he can do when fully prepared and motivated.

The only way to ensure a trip to the UFC however is to beat Mike Kyle this weekend.

“The main focus is actually this fight because you never know because you have to perform and I have to win. After that, I think going to the UFC is the plan, and after talking to my management it should be a done deal. First I have a fight with Strikeforce and that’s the most important thing,” said Mousasi.

“I’m glad the fans are excited about the fights, especially stand-up fighters like Shogun (Rua), (Lyoto) Machida, or (Alexander) Gustafsson, I think those are fights that are going to be exciting,” Mousasi stated.

It’s not enough though for Mousasi to just be another face in the crowd or an exciting fighter who goes through the ebb and flow of victories and defeats. No, Mousasi wants to be defined as a top contender and eventually a challenger to Jon Jones and the UFC light heavyweight title.

“That’s my goal to show that I am in the top five or the top three (in the world),” Mousasi stated.

“I feel like I have the potential and with the right training and the right mentality I can do it, and I feel that way right now. January 12 is the date I will show it.”

Gegard Mousasi Wants to Show He is One of the Top Three Light Heavyweights in the World | MMAWeekly.com