"Do you think the UFC wanted to lose him?" - John McCarthy explains why fighters like Gegard Mousasi leave the UFC despite being on winning streaks

John McCarthy recently offered fans some insight into Gegard Mousasi's decision to part ways with the UFC and link up with Bellator. He admitted that despite being on a winning streak in the UFC, Mousasi jumped ship to Bellator with the hope of bagging a more lucrative contract.

Mousasi signed with Bellator in 2017 after accumulating a winning record of 9-3 in the UFC. Right before moving to Bellator, Mousasi went on an absolute tear, recording five wins on the trot.

While in conversation with Josh Thompson on the latest edition of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy revealed that the prospect of a consistent and better payday seemed more alluring to Mousasi.

He further admitted that Mousasi's deal with Bellator was much better than anything the UFC had to offer at that point.

"He left on a five-fight win streak. Do you think the UFC wanted to lose him? They didn't want to lose him... It's also the way your deal is structured, you know. The UFC is very, you know, straight up the line. They do a 50-50. You have a show and a win. That's a 50-50 split. So, you know, Gegard, let's be honest, he doesn't have a 50-50 split, okay? He gets paid when he gets paid, no matter if he wins or loses. That's a nice element for him that he doesn't have to worry about, he knows exactly what he's going to make."

Check out John McCarthy's take on Gegard Mousasi's move to Bellator below:

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Gegard Mousasi recalls his interaction with Austin Vanderford in a sauna

Gegard Mousasi recently defended his title successfully against Austin Vanderford at Bellator 275 in Dublin. Mousasi recorded the win by way of TKO in the first frame of their clash.

In the aftermath of his scrap with Vanderford, Mousasi opened up about his run-in with Vanderford and his wife Paige VanZant in a sauna. He offered fans some insight into exchange while in conversation with Ariel Helwani on the latest edition of The MMA Hour.

"[Austin Vanderford] came in and I said, 'No opponent allowed.' And it was nice. He laughed. And then I said, 'You're gonna go for the single leg?' And then he had to laugh. And then at the end his girlfriend [Paige VanZant] was sitting there and I wanted to take out my underwear to see my weight. So I said, 'Can you leave?'"

Check out Gegard Mousasi's interaction with Ariel Helwani below: