| Sign Up | Google+

Jon Jones: Gegard Mousasi is the toughest fighter to come over to the UFC from Strikeforce

Stay connected for news and updates

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

With the signing of a number of Strikeforce fighters to the UFC roster still fresh in everyone's mind, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones weighs in on who he believes is the toughest fighter to transition from the now defunct organization to the UFC.

With the Strikeforce organization now gone, there have been a number of new additions to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster that have fans excited.

One of those names is former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, who meets Alexander Gustafsson in his Octagon debut in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 9 on April 9, 2013.

Mousasi (33-3-2) has been one of the most talked about fighters outside of the UFC for years now, and now that he has arrived in the Octagon, he has the attention of the organization's light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who says he believes "The Dreamcatcher" is the toughest fighter to come over from Strikeforce.

"[The toughest fighter to come over from Strikeforce is] probably Gegard." Jones said in a recent Q&A session with UFC Fight Club members. "Gegard Mousasi, I would say. He's pretty tough."

Mousasi, like Jones, has a wealth of experience against a wide variety of competition, but is still very young at only 27 years of age. The native of the Netherlands has only lost once since 2006 and is undefeated in his past six bouts.

He may not be close to the UFC title yet, but a defeat over Gustafsson in April would go a long way in advancing Mousasi towards a title fight.

Jones' answer may be viewed as a bit of a slap in the face to one Daniel Cormier, who also came over to the UFC from Strikeforce and has been very vocal about his desire to fight "Bones" after he gets by Frank Mir in his Octagon debut at UFC on FOX 7.

Perhaps Jones' answer was meant as a slight to Cormier, or perhaps he simply interpreted the fans question as asking who is the toughest 205-pound fighter to the UFC ranks.

For now, though, Jones is scheduled to face Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 159: "Jones vs. Sonnen" on April 27, 2013 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Recent Posts

Stay connected for news and updates

The Next Read

There are 20 Comments. Add yours. Load Now. Loading

Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.

C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read

R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next

Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read

Comment Settings

Live comment alert: Hide it!

tracking_pixel_5349_tracker tracking_pixel_5351_tracker