Gegard Mousasi picked up his fourth straight win this past weekend (Sat., Nov. 19, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast, northern Ireland, taking out Uriah Hall in the first round via technical knockout (see it again here). Afterward, “Dreamcatcher” stated that he wanted a fight that would get him close to a championship bout, or, at the very least, a “super fight” against either Nick Diaz or Anderson Silva.
That said, Mousasi revealed on “The MMA Hour” that he isn’t in a hurry to step back into the cage; in fact, he likely won’t resume fighting until March of next year. And when the time comes, he’d prefer to face Luke Rockhold in what will mark the final fight of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contract.
“I’m not scared to fight anybody, you just have to be smart,” he said. “I’d rather face Luke Rockhold, somebody like that, because I feel there is much more to gain. I have one more fight (left on current contract) I believe. If I fight Luke Rockhold, and I beat him, then I am the next contender. That’s my goal, that’s my plan. So if they want to or not, they have to re-sign me, I believe.”
Mousasi’s plan is to fight out his remaining contract without signing an extension. However, he will only accept a bout when he’s ready and on his terms. In other words, he won’t take another last-minute bout like he did against Hall, which Mousasi says he only did because Dana White asked him personally.
“I’m going to fight my contract out because I feel confident I can beat anybody,” he said. “But, I am going to take it when I’m ready. I am not going to rush it. It’s my last fight and until I’m ready. I’m in shape, I can fight anybody, but under my circumstances. It’s not going to be just when they call me when I go take the fight. This is important, this fight is the next one to get the belt.”
For what it’s worth, Ryan Bader also chose not to re-sign a contract extension with UFC prior to his headlining fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 100 last Saturday. With the win, “Darth” now has plenty of bargaining chips on his side. Whether or not that’s what Mousasi hopes to accomplish by fighting it out is unclear, but one thing is certain, he is very confident in his skills to take out anyone in front of him.
Rockhold included.
That said, Rockhold is also eyeing a return to action in March, though he has his eyes set on a Ronaldo Souza rematch. However, he isn’t opposed to a showdown against Mousasi as long as the winner gets a shot at the strap.
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