MOUSASI KNOCKS OUT JACARE TO WIN GRAND PRIX
by Joe Hall (joeh@sherdog.com)

Sherdog.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Gegard Mousasi did not want to go to the ground with Ronaldo "Jacare"
Souza, but that’s where he knocked out the jiu-jitsu phenom Tuesday
in Saitama, Japan, in the Dream middleweight grand prix finals.

Mousasi had come out in a low stance, which could not keep Jacare from
wrapping him up in a double-leg takedown to start the fight. Jacare
was working to pass when Mousasi shoved him away. At that point, the
Brazilian jumped back in with a right hand, but a kick that Mousasi
had launched from his back landed first and it landed on Jacare’s chin.

Suddenly Jacare was lying limp, and the fight was over after just
2:15. Mousasi had to slide out from under his beaten opponent to
calmly take in his victory.

"In this tournament, I have become friends with Zelg (Galesic) and
Jacare," said Mousasi, who at 23 years old has 24 victories. "They
helped me. I’m happy that I won, but I consider them as my friends,
so it was hard for me to (defeat) Jacare."

Earlier in the evening, Mousasi also defeated Melvin Manhoef in a
fight he had been requesting for some time.

Manhoef sprawled well on Mousasi’s first takedown, but the Armenian
persisted until he had the dangerous kickboxer on the ground. Almost
immediately on the mat Mousasi had his opponent’s back and was punching
to the side of his head. Manhoef’s escape from back control only led
him into a triangle choke, which Mousasi had used to finish Denis
Kang in the grand prix opening round in April.

Daniel Herbertson/Sherdog.com

Gegard Mousasi submits Melvin Manhoef with a triangle choke.In defense,
the powerfully built Dutch fighter lifted Mousasi high above his
head, reminiscent of Quinton Jackson’s slam of Ricardo Arona in
Pride. Manhoef’s slam didn’t generate the same power, though, and
while in the air Mousasi was grabbing his foot to secure the hold
through the fall. Shortly after Mousasi hit the canvas, Manhoef was
tapping at 1:28.

Manhoef said he was surprised that his adversary had taken him to
the ground after saying he would fight him on the feet.

"I thought he would stand with me. I thought he had balls, but he
didn’t," said Manhoef, whose five-fight win streak was snapped in
defeat. "In the end, he won fair and square. It’s my own fault that
I did not take in consideration that he might also go to the ground."

Manhoef had expected Mousasi to try to ground the fight only after
discovering that he wouldn’t survive standing. He credited Mousasi’s
long legs for the triangle but also criticized himself.

"It was a little bit stupid of me because I was too anxious, I think,
to ground and pound," he said. "It’s my own fault. I cannot blame
nobody. I’m disappointed by myself and I disappointed my team and
everybody around me."

Jacare had advanced to the final by defeating Zelg Galesic. Galesic
threw one kick before Jacare had put him on his back. The Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt pinned Galesic’s ankle to the floor and
effortlessly passed his guard, struck well from side control, went
to knee-on-belly briefly and then mounted the Croatian fighter.

Galesic rolled out but left his arm behind — a mistake Souza would
not let him survive. Jacare snagged the limb and extended it for a
screaming tap at 1:27.

"Usually people can’t armbar from there," Galesic said. "But he did
some sort of leg triangle on my arm, and immediately my arm was popped
out. In one second, it was finished."

In the middleweight grand prix reserve bout, Andrews Nakahara gave Dong
Sik Yoon trouble from the start. With a background in kyokushin karate,
Nakahara moved well and peppered his opponent with kicks. Yoon grounded
the fight midway through the first and took the mount, where he tried
numerous chokes with his gi.

In the second round, Yoon came out of his corner throwing
haymakers. Nakahara, clearly the better striker, countered with a
right hand that dropped the Korean fighter and then forced a stoppage
on the ground 30 seconds into the period.