Gegard Mousasi lands blue-chip sponsor, politely asks UFC for Michael Bisping fight

And here I thought Rubber was the only tire associated with blows to the head.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi is sitting pretty after his win over Costas Philippou at the UFC Fight Night 66 event last Saturday (May 16, 2015) in the Philippines (video). Not just for notching his second-straight win, but also for announcing his new sponsorship deal with Bridgestone.

"Bridgestone is a blue-chip company that has sponsored such mainstream arenas as NASCAR and Formula 1," Mousasi's manager, Nima Safapour, told MMAjunkie.com. "With this partnership, Gegard has become a pioneer; he is the first elite MMA athlete that has become a brand ambassador for the largest and most established tire company globally."

Not too shabby.

Mousasi had a falling out with one of his previous sponsors and like the rest of the ZUFFA roster, will become bound by the Reebok uniform deal this July. That means "The Dreamcatcher" will have to pimp his Bridgestone buddies outside the cage.

Unless he can secure a Michael Bisping fight before the Reebok deadline.

The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion politely asked for "The Count" after disposing of Philippou, but was careful not to outright challenge him, as the temperamental Brit has a tendency to "overreact" when fellow middleweights call him out.

"I wanted Jacare [Souza]," Mousasi said last weekend in Manila. "The only one who makes sense is Michael Bisping, but let's not challenge him, because he overreacts"

Bisping has yet to respond.