Starting From Zero, Gegard Mousasi Still Taking Aim at the Top
Although Gegard Mousasi is just 29 years of age, he’s one of the most experienced fighters in the Octagon. He knows that even though he has thus far been deflected from his goal of winning a UFC championship, he’s never far off from earning a shot at the title.
Despite his modest age, Mousasi maintains an overall record of 35-6-2, and has been fighting professionally for more than 12 years. He’s held championships in several organizations, including Dream and Strikeforce.
Mousasi found himself immediately in UFC title contention when he returned to middleweight early last year to fight Lyoto Machida. Unfortunately, he lost the fight, leaving Machida to fight for the title in his next bout.
Having bounced back with a win over Mark Munoz, Mousasi then lost to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, another top contender.
Not to be discouraged, Mousasi rebounded again with a win over Dan Henderson in January of this year, making him 3-2 in his last five fights. Ever the optimist, the Iranian-born Dutch fighter merely saw his most recent loss an opportunity to hit the reset button.
“I am starting from zero now. So this is a fresh start after the Jacare fight, and I am going from there,” Mousasi told MMAWeekly.com.
Having returned to his winning ways with the victory over former two-division Pride champion Henderson, Mousasi will attempt to build momentum on Saturday when he steps into the Octagon opposite Costas Philippou. The two middleweights serve as the main support bout for a UFC Fight Night 66 headliner pitting Frankie Edgar against Urijah Faber in Manila.
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Though he would have preferred a higher ranked opponent – Philippou currently sits at No. 12, Mousasi at No. 7 – there was no one higher available for Mousasi to fight in the Philippines. He’s okay with that.
“Everyone above me was already scheduled for a fight. I am ready and willing to fight, especially in order to stay active,” said Mousasi. “I am not underestimating Philippou. I believe he is a dangerous opponent.
“At short distance, he is a big striker and most dangerous. Overall, however, I believe I am the better fighter.”
Mousasi also believes that doesn’t have a lot of rungs to climb on the ladder back into title contention.
“I am ranked No. 7 and I feel that is accurate at the moment,” he said. “But after three more wins, I believe I will be the No. 1 contender.”
That confidence is bred from more than a decade of fighting the best fighters in the world. In addition to Munoz and Henderson, Mousasi has defeated the likes of Jacare, Ovince St. Preux, Gary Goodridge, Mark Hunt, and more.
But even with so many fights packed into so many years, Mousasi believes he’s got plenty of time left to achieve his dream, and he doesn’t intend to back away any time soon.
“As long as I feel that I can go for the title I am going to continue to do so. I feel that at a very conservative minimum I can go until 35 years old.”
