Gegard Mousasi Targeting Titles in Two Divisions at Bellator MMA

Gegard Mousasi has announced his ambition to become a two-weight world champion in Bellator following his departure from the UFC

The UFC has lost one of the top ranked middleweights to rival promotion Bellator MMA, it was confirmed on Monday.

Mousasi announced on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that he has signed a deal with Bellator, following a report from MMAJunkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu earlier in the day (via MMAFighting):

“I’m looking forward to be champion there,” said Mousasi, who added he signed a six-fight deal with Bellator. “If I achieve that, I look forward to going a division up and getting the 205 belt. But first the middleweight belt. That’s my goal.”

Mousasi, a former Strikeforce and Dream light heavyweight champion, is currently riding a five-fight winning streak which looked set to push him into title contention in the UFC’s middleweight division. Despite this, Mousasi feels that the move to Bellator is the right one, especially sine he will be once again by working alongside Scott Coker, who promoted Mousasi at Strikeforce:

“It’s not just basically the money,” Mousasi said. “Like I said, I’ve worked with Scott. When Scott promises something, he delivers. He’s an honest guy. He’s a mixed martial artist himself. He treats fighters with respect.”

Another factor which was influential in Mousasi’s decision was watching Robert Whittaker awarded an interim title bout against #1 contender Yoel Romero:

“I thought I was ahead of him,” Mousasi said of Whittaker. “That’s my opinion. I respect Whittaker a lot, he’s nice guy. Congratulations for winning the belt. I think if they would have come and said, ‘You’re fighting for the interim belt,’ things would have gotten more interesting to me.”

While the UFC middleweight division is not lacking talent by any long stretch, it is disappointing to see someone of Mousasi’s caliber leaving the promotion.

Related News

Top Stories

UFC Store

Demetrious Johnson Tells Sean Strickland To ‘Swallow His Ego’ & Change His Style After UFC 312

UFC legend Demetrious Johnson thinks it's time for Sean Strickland to change his ways...

Dricus Du Plessis: Khamzat Chimaev ‘Deserves A Hiding’ Before Alex Pereira Fight

Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title for the second time with a...

Dana White Reveals ‘Fascinating’ Revelation He Had While Watching Sean Strickland At UFC 312

Sean Strickland’s loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 was a decisive unanimous...

Dricus Du Plessis ‘Super Frustrated’ By UFC 312 Boos: ‘If It Was Towards Me, You Are Stupid’

UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis insists he's not to blame for how his...

UFC Analyst Rips Sean Strickland After UFC 312 Performance: ‘He’s Not Who He Says He Is’

Sean Strickland’s pre-fight promises of a brutal, all-out war with Dricus Du Plessis at...

Joe Rogan Reacts To Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 312 Win Over Sean Strickland: ‘He’s A Tough Puzzle’

While the UFC 312 main event itself didn't exactly deliver fireworks, color commentator Joe...

Merab Dvalishvili Slams Controversial Stoppage At UFC 312: ‘Hate This!’

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili was not pleased to see one fighter's outing at...

Khamzat Chimaev & Nassourdine Imavov Among Fighters Unimpressed By UFC 312 Main Event

Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland ran it back in Saturday's UFC 312 headliner,...

Sean Strickland Reveals Extent Of Damage From Dricus Du Plessis Punch At UFC 312: ‘Broke My Nose In Like Six Places’

Following his unanimous decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 in Sydney,...