NEW STRIKEFORCE CHAMP GEGARD MOUSASI STAYING AT 205 POUNDS FOR "TWO OR THREE YEARS"
by Dann Stupp
MMAjunkie.com
Aug 16, 2009 at 3:05 pm ET
Don’t expect Gegard Mousasi to waste too much time before making his
first Strikeforce title defense.
While current champs Alistair Overeem (heavyweight), Cung Le
(middleweight) and Josh Thomson (lightweight) have each gone more
than a year since last defending their Strikeforce belts, Mousasi,
who delivered former champ Renato "Babalu" Sobral a brutal 60-second
knockout on Saturday to claim the 205-pound title, is ready to pounce
on his new weight class.
Mousasi, who recently vacated his DREAM middleweight belt to fight
at the higher weight classes, will compete in the Japanese-based
organization’s open-weight "Super Hulk" semifinals in October before
returning to the light-heavyweight division for the foreseeable future.
The 24-year-old Mousasi, who owns a staggering 13-fight win streak,
beat Mark Hunt back in May in the eight-man "Super Hulk" opening
round. On Oct. 6 at DREAM.11, he takes on PRIDE and UFC vet Rameau
Thierry Sokoudjou in the semifinals. A victory would put him in
the finals later that night against the Hong Man Choi vs. Ikuhisa
Minowa winner.
While the novelty fights have kept the Dutch fighter entertained,
he’s ready to make a run at 205 pounds.
"I’m planning to fight (at) 205 for two or three years, get a little
bit older, put on some muscle," Mousasi said.
Eventually, though, the Red Devil Sport Club fighter wants to move
up yet again.
"Eventually, I will go to heavyweight but not right now," he said. "But
the ‘Super Hulk’ tournament, I have to fight heavyweight. Heavyweights
are also good, but being also very big, the disadvantage is I feel
with speed and explosiveness, (but) I can beat also the heavier guys.
"I see myself also fighting at heavyweight in the future."
Strikeforce CEO and co-founder Scott Coker isn’t sure whom Mousasi
will fight in his next Strikeforce bout. Despite the first-round
drubbing, Sobral remains very much in the title picture, Coker said,
but an immediate rematch doesn’t sound likely.
"We’ll do the matchmaking process in the next couple of weeks," Coker
said. "But we’re going to let [Mousasi] get through the DREAM event
in October, and then we’ll start putting something together."
Mousasi literally didn’t break a sweat in the Sobral fight, which
took the co-main-event slot on the "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg"
Showtime broadcast. After taking down the Brazilian fighter early in
the round, Mousasi stood over his opponent and rained down a dozen
punches, each of which landed. One shot that connected mid-barrage
knocked Sobral out cold, though a subsequent blow jolted him back
awake before the referee halted the action.
Mousasi wasn’t too surprised by the quick finish.
"I wanted to keep the fight standing up, but I knew if I could take
Sobral down, I would take him down," he said. "I know he’s a great
jiu-jitsu guy, but this is not jiu-jitsu. This is MMA, and I knew
I could have the advantage of top position. I was expecting a tough
fight. He’s experienced, and he’s a very tough opponent. But sometimes
fights end quickly."
For complete coverage of "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg," including
the night’s official results, check out the MMA Events section of
MMAjunkie.com.