Gegard Mousasi mulls move to light heavyweight to possibly face winner of Affliction's Sobral vs Sokoudjou
by Stefan Manojlovic on Jan 21, 2009 2:49 PM EST
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"To me the next challenge is to move up a division. It's not because I don't see middleweight as a challenge but because my body's getting bigger. I always came down, came down and because of my age my body's getting bigger and bigger. It's something that I needed to do. I think the timing is good to go up. I may fight the winner of Babalu vs. Sokoudjou but I don't know for sure. It's eventually up to Affliction and M-1 who they want me to fight. It's a tough division because every guy is explosive, every guy is fast and has good strength. It's a tough division and there's a lot of good names. It's not my goal to be the best light heavyweight in the world, something I've always wanted is to be a heavyweight. I plan, over one year maybe two years, to build to heavyweight."
-DREAM Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi considers the move to light heavyweight in anticipation of possibly facing the winner of Renato Sobral vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, which takes place January 24 at Affliction ‘Day of Reckoning’. The "Young Vagabond" is an extremely talented fighter and in addition to riding an eleven-fight win streak, is also a former amateur boxing champion and has served as a striking coach for current WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko.
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This guy is awesome. I would like to see him go to UFC and fight some of the middle weights.
by Bluepit on Jan 21, 2009 2:56 PM EST reply actions
Me too but that is clearly not his plan. Interesting that he would want to up to heavyweight though as the weight limit there is 265lb which could be a lot to handle for someone who isn’t naturally that weight.
He certainly has the makings of greatness plus he is a very intelligent fighter which I think will be the difference for Mousassi compared to others thinking about doing the same thing.
He is now training with Fedor so it is doubtful he will sign with the UFC but if he plans to go up to heavyweight then the best fights are outside of the UFC anyway.
by Ca$z on Jan 21, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions
I concur bluepit, I concur. I actually didn’t have this guy under my radar ’till he beat that Jacare Souza guy back in Dream 6. Even if that was just an “overrated” upkick as some punditz here might call it, it still finished Souza whichever way you put it…Hope he fights Babalu so he could be matched up grapplingly. Then move to the UFC to figh top-flight competition there…One threader here may be right. 2009 is the year of Gegrad Mousasi!
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Jan 21, 2009 3:17 PM EST up reply actions
I never heard of this guy until DREAM came along. I never watched PRIDE until UFC got control (UFC 60 and midway through TUF 3 is when I got involved). I heard alot about Kang, so when he upset him, he became my pick to win the whole show. I’ve watchted numerous videos of him, and this guy is phenomenal on the ground and standing, as well as amazing composure in his fights. Almost Fedor-like in the way he never shows emotion.
A recent example is the Manhoeff fight in DREAM. For those who haven’t seen it, Gegard locked a triangle on Melvin, Melvin picks him up Rampage style, then runs across the ring and slams him. Crazy slam. But Gegard held on, and tapped him with the same choke. Amazing composure there!
I am very disappointed to see him move to LHW. I wanted him to fight Anderson, and give him the fight of his life. But LHW possiblities are endless. I think he will beat down both Soko and Babalu, and maybe eventually be the best LHW Affliction has. Maybe a match against Tito would solidify that theory.
As far as HW, I am not so sure. But Overeem has transitioned well from LHW to HW, so it is possible. This guy’s talent is endless, and with him being so young, its a definetly a possiblity to become a legit HW, especially training with Fedor.
2009 YEAR OF GEGARD MOUSASI!!!!
by Synyster [[2009 Year of Gegard Mousasi]] on Jan 21, 2009 3:34 PM EST up reply actions
Edit As far as being Affliction’s best LHW, match ups against Babalu, Lil Nog, and then Tito may warrant the best in their division.
Question though, what happens to his DREAM Middleweight Championship? Because he did win the divisional belt as well as the grand prix right?
by Synyster [[2009 Year of Gegard Mousasi]] on Jan 21, 2009 3:37 PM EST up reply actions
Right now, Gegard is a rather lean MW. He is not thick by any means, I would actually consider him rather skinny for a MW. Moving up or down 1 division is never really a shocker, but this kid saying that he wants to be the HW champion of the world is just an awesome thing to hear from a fighter as a fan. He is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE if the majority of the American born fighters, especially the ones with the wrestling backgrounds. We all want to fight at the absolute lightest weight we can without needing to be admitted to the hospital on multiple occasions during cutting weight – once or twice is ok.
Do I have more respect for the dominant fighter that walks around at 198 lbs but fights at 170, or do I have more respect for the guy that walks around at 198 and fights at 205. To me, that is a SIMPLE answer. My respect goes to the 198er fighting in the 205 division.
by ViolentMike on Jan 21, 2009 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
I completely agree with you ViolentMike, and this to me, is a huge part of the answer to people that ask why Penn is so respected, and why he is considered a top P4P’er.
by The Anomaly on Jan 21, 2009 3:49 PM EST up reply actions
he actually weighed in at 216 for the musashi match on new years… so hes not small at middleweight by any means
by brendan on Jan 21, 2009 5:16 PM EST up reply actions
and i wouldnt get your hopes up about him signing with the UFC… he trains with Fedor and we know how well those negotiations have been going
by brendan on Jan 21, 2009 5:20 PM EST up reply actions
Right now MOusasi is walking around at 217 lbs. So he will be pretty big still if he cuts down to 205….He will be bigger then Rich Franklin was this past Saturday and Rich looked like a Tank!
Did you guys know that both Fedor and MOusasi are entering this years Ahbu Dahbi tournament thats being held in New York? yOurs truly will be there live in attendance!
by john on Jan 21, 2009 5:57 PM EST up reply actions
Oh man, you get to go to ADCC? Am dying of envy. I wanted to see maia vs jacare. Maia wanted to compete this year coz he was sure he would sub jacare but ronaldo isn’t going this time. Priority autograph – kyra gracie.
Oh yea – mousasi is awesome and he has the frame to do it. I don’t he’ll perform as well though. Again no special insight just a feeling.
by NameNotRequired on Jan 21, 2009 7:02 PM EST up reply actions
What was the outcome of the Maia/Jacare bout? And man! I wish I could go to ADCC!
by Synyster [[2009 Year of Gegard Mousasi]] on Jan 21, 2009 9:12 PM EST up reply actions
Im not sure, but I think Maia won. philqny will know the answer to that question for sure.
A few of us East coast maniacs like PhilQny, Violentmike are talking about making it a group trip to ADCC this year in New York…All Maniacs are welcome. Fedor, MOusasi, arona are all said to be competing at this years tournament!
I got to get the info on the dates and Venue location. As soon as I find out I will let everyone know!
by john on Jan 22, 2009 7:36 AM EST up reply actions
Thats what I would assume (Maia won). I’m not sure how ADCC works, is it go till a tap or a time limit? I’m going to assume time limit because somewhere I read Maia wants to finish him this time. I dunno.
by Synyster [[2009 Year of Gegard Mousasi]] on Jan 22, 2009 7:40 AM EST up reply actions
looking forward to the ADCC tourney I hope they will televise it this year. Anybody know when it is.
by TKO on Jan 22, 2009 8:04 AM EST up reply actions
Maia won mundials, Jacare beat him at Absolute or 77kg at ADCC 05. Maia said he was hesitant in the match but was sure his technical skills would shine this time. Too bad it won’t happen.
by NameNotRequired on Jan 22, 2009 7:24 PM EST up reply actions
He still had the hardest road to become the champion and against the people he faced that is an accomplishment in itself.
by Ca$z on Jan 21, 2009 3:45 PM EST up reply actions
I though so too, but what the heck…
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Jan 21, 2009 4:21 PM EST up reply actions
he should also get the winner of Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami, whenever the hell they fight.
by nameless on Jan 21, 2009 2:57 PM EST reply actions
and i agree he is awesome. definitely a contender.
by nameless on Jan 21, 2009 2:58 PM EST reply actions
Im glad he is moving to LHW. there were some rumors in the past about Vitor vs Gegard and i did not want to see it happen. now i dont have to worry about that happening ever..
by belfort_fan on Jan 21, 2009 3:09 PM EST reply actions
After seeing him beat down Musashi and his awesome performance in the Dream MW tournie, he is pretty much open to do anything he wants.
Fight in K1, fight in UFC, fight in Affliction, he is one of the best up and coming fighters in the world. Don’t sleep on him UFC!
by DirtyML on Jan 21, 2009 3:17 PM EST reply actions
-Haven’t seen any of this guy, how good is he? Where would he stand like, matchin up with Rich, or Hendo, or Anderson?
-And speaking of the MW, what are the plans for the MW division right now, or more directly, Anderson, the holder of the belt. Havent heard ANY news or anything on him for a while now, goin on a month or something? Didn’t Anderson wanna fight MORE, and now it sounds like the division is getting held up a bit, has had no real action in a while save Damian Maia and Palahares.
-Also speaking of which, both being MW, who’s down for a Maia/Palharas fight? Would that not be a titan showdown of BJJ? How does everybody think that would go?
by The Anomaly on Jan 21, 2009 3:18 PM EST reply actions
thales leites on the same card as chuck/shogun
by kevin on Jan 21, 2009 3:20 PM EST up reply actions
Didn’t they already say who he was fighting as well? I don’t remember though.
by The Anomaly on Jan 21, 2009 3:57 PM EST up reply actions
Anderson is fighting Thales Leites next.
I know. I’m sorry too…
Gegard has world class striking and his BJJ is suddenly off the hook to go along with his striking. His wrestling is his glaring weakness, but with his BJJ and his muay thai, its a pick your own poison on where you want to deal with Gegard – standing getting your face beat in, or on the ground getting an arm ripped off.
I see Demian Maia as the better MMA figher than Palhares and give him a better shot at beating Anderson, in fact, I give Maia the 2nd best chance (behind Hendo). Because I still think the best way to beat Anderson is to take him down and just lay on him, throwing one strike every 7 seconds or so. Exciting? NO Effective? Quite possibly.
by ViolentMike on Jan 21, 2009 3:49 PM EST up reply actions
His wrestling is his weakness, but I wouldn’t describe it as “glaring”. In the fight against Cyborg, he finished with strikes from the crucifix side control position. The Hughes/Penn 2 finish. Another of his fights he actually dominated the guy with wrestling and finished with strikes form the mount. He was also able to get Manhoeff to the ground and take the top position almost immediately. Granted all of those could be defined as jits, but still.
by Synyster [[2009 Year of Gegard Mousasi]] on Jan 21, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions
Ok, maybe “glaring” could have been misinterpreted. I meant that the biggest whole in his game, or the aspect of MMA that he needs to work on the most woule be wrestling. Sure he can get a takedown and defend a takedown, but if he were in a muay thai tourmanent, a BJJ tourament, an ENdurance tournament and a wrestling tournament, his worst finish would come th wrestling tournament.
Not sure if that makes sense or not, but I’m out of here for the day and it is time to go home and GET LOST!!!!!!!!
The best drama in the history of television begins its 5th season tonight.
by ViolentMike on Jan 21, 2009 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
Well we will soon find out how good his Jits is. Mousasi and Fedor are competing at this years ahbu Dahbi Submission grappling tournament!
Synyster: Didnt I tell you all about this 2 days ago?
by john on Jan 21, 2009 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
I remember reading about the tourny being held in New York, and I think I remember Fedor being in it, but I don’t remember anything with Mousasi being in it. But yeah John, you did.
by Synyster [[2009 Year of Gegard Mousasi]] on Jan 21, 2009 9:16 PM EST up reply actions
fEDOR,moUSASI, AND aRONA are all said to be entering!
by john on Jan 22, 2009 7:37 AM EST up reply actions
He wasn’t on your radar until he beat Jacare? Dude this kid has been tearing up the scene since he was the youngest competitor in the pride MWGP. He showed so much skill and poise for a dude his age in that tournament, coming up short against a veteran Gono.
I think he will do fine at LHW but an eventual move to HW for the guy just seems silly to me at this point. He should stay as small as he can and continue to dominate!
by Ballam on Jan 21, 2009 3:20 PM EST reply actions
That’s right dude, I freakin’ didn’t know who the hell this guy was till he beat Souza. And no, he won’t be movin to HW. He just said LHW…That’s it, that’s his limit…
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Jan 21, 2009 3:23 PM EST up reply actions
I’d presume he’s been cutting pretty hard to make MW. I think he’ll tear it up at LHW with the additional muscle and less-dehydrated state. Definitely a contender.
by the matt king on Jan 21, 2009 3:42 PM EST up reply actions
SYD, reread, he said his dream is not to be LHW champ, it is to be HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP, and he plans on fighting HW within 2 years. (its all in his quote above, you know, the one we are all responding to?)
by ViolentMike on Jan 21, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
I know you’re replying to Syd, but since you replied to my messege instead, here are my two cents:
I think he just hates cutting weight. It’s easier to put on than take off as the body matures.
I have no clue why Syd said he wasn’t moving to HW… I do think that he will be a contender at that weight. At HW however I doubt he can have the size to be a serious threat within two years. Will he ever? Most likely if that is his plan. Only he knows his body and what it’s capable of. If you have enough reach like Mousasi has, then being a MW, LHW, HW doesn’t really matter to the extent that you can make weight all the while are healthy and conditioned.
I’m not so much disagreeing with you ViolentMike, nor doubting what he says. I’m jsu8t saying that in two years time, he won’t be fighting for the title. Perhaps he will scrap with some good talent in the 230 lb range. Only time will tell.
by the matt king on Jan 21, 2009 5:05 PM EST up reply actions
oops, my bad. He did say in the end that HW is a possibility…
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Jan 21, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
lol, no problem!
And my appologies for the slight sarcasm at the end. Sometimes I still revert back to the “Original ViolentMike” that used to always get moderated and hung up. But for the past year and a half of so, I have tried to be much more respectful, but still like to bust chops everyone know and then with the regulars that know I’m just bustin balls. Ocassionally I’ll do it to a non – regular and they start to get on my case treat me like I’m John or something. LOL (Gotcha John!!)
by ViolentMike on Jan 21, 2009 5:01 PM EST up reply actions
Haha! no worries VM. you know very well that you are one of my top respected posters here. So I pretty much get it when you’re doin’ sarcasm or what not, hehe!
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Jan 21, 2009 5:54 PM EST up reply actions
ViolentMIke is the FARCE of mmaMania!!!! He is all talk!
VM isnt even a real mma fan! Instead of watching Afliction this weekend he will be watching the WWE Royal Rumble! hahahahah LMAO….. VM, did you really think I wasnt going to respond to those cheap shots you took at me earlier? LMAO…Much Love man!
vM’s favorite mma fighter is the Undertaker! LMFAO!!!!
by john on Jan 21, 2009 6:56 PM EST up reply actions
Tough call The Anomaly. I think it would come down to who has the better stand up game…I would go with Palhares via decision due to him having a slightly bettter striking and he is alot more powerful than Damian.
by Red on Jan 21, 2009 3:22 PM EST reply actions
Yeah the only thing I could think of that would set apart their BJJ would be the difference in strength. I to would have to go with Pahlaras.
by The Anomaly on Jan 21, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
That’s correct, strengthwise, it’s Paul Harris. The rest is Maia’s realm!
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Jan 21, 2009 4:39 PM EST up reply actions
appart from Maia has a massively better bjj creds!
by AWT on Jan 21, 2009 5:54 PM EST up reply actions
I really don’t see the UFC signing this guy, but I really hope they do. I don’t see very many interesting fights for him, outside the UFC.
by JoshuaThomas on Jan 21, 2009 3:28 PM EST reply actions
In the article Mousasi says “It’s not my goal to be the best light heavyweight in the world, something I’ve always wanted is to be a heavyweight. I plan, over one year maybe two years, to build to heavyweight.”
So yea he does plan on going to heavyweight
by Ballam on Jan 21, 2009 3:29 PM EST reply actions
You need to learn how to click “reply to this comment” so we know what the F you are talking about, or who you are argueing with.
by The Anomaly on Jan 21, 2009 3:33 PM EST up reply actions
Oh and P.S., you were right about the HW vs LHW thing, the guy clearly states he does NOT want to live out his career as a LHW, but rather build himself up to a HW in the next 2 years or so and be the best there.
by The Anomaly on Jan 21, 2009 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Mousasi is not small, he weighted about 208 when he faced Musashi in K-1 Dynamite!
by Joakim on Jan 21, 2009 3:51 PM EST reply actions
I think mousasi looks good at middleweight… don’t really see the point of putting on 30lbs being a small heavyweight.
by BritishBulldog on Jan 21, 2009 4:01 PM EST reply actions
WHYYY does he want to go to HW? He’s a beast in MW … confounding to say the least. Anyway, I’ve been following Mousasi for a while now. This kid is the real deal.
by bostonmmajunkie on Jan 21, 2009 4:16 PM EST reply actions
He hates cutting weight lije the rest of people who naturally weigh 20 pounds over their natrual weight. LHW is where he belongs. Maybe a 205 superfight down the road.
by the matt king on Jan 21, 2009 5:08 PM EST up reply actions
Gegard Mousasi is the future…this kidd is young, extremely talented, and has a superb ground game…his performance at Fields Dynamite also showed that he has improved his stand up SIGNIFICANTLY…hes not the DREAM Middleweight GP champion for no reason…I have also seen him fight for M1 at LHW on HDnet, this dude is gifted..Mousasi has what it takes to be a champion in the UFC, its only a matter of time…watch out for this kidd hes gonna be dangerous and hes still evolving.
by pride 4 ever on Jan 21, 2009 5:43 PM EST reply actions
He’s probably mulling a decision to move to 205 because he would easily beat both his rumored opponents.
So why make the move unless it’s a mega fight with Tito Ortiz.
Why move up to easily beat Babalu or Sokoudjou?
by Tyler on Jan 21, 2009 8:35 PM EST reply actions
I love to see this guy fight and respect him very much as a fighter. Would be an amazing mtachup against Anderson Silva. But come oooooon…
Sounded like a scene out of “Dude wheres my care”…
and then… and then… ant then…
and then im going to beat all the LHWs in the world, and then move to HW and be the champ, and then fight a grizzly with my hands tied for the undisputed masterrace of the universe title and then challenge superman and batman in a combo fight… and then fight Ken Shamrock! lol
by Choke_Him on Jan 23, 2009 3:58 AM EST reply actions
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