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Gegard Mousasi fought 12 times in the UFC, winning nine and losing three contests. He was with the organization from 2013 to 2017. Following the successful defense of his middleweight title at Bellator 275, UFC fans may be wondering why the skilled Dutchman left the promotion in the first place.
Mousasi had a rough start to life in the octagon, winning and losing twice apiece in his first four fights. However, he then went on a tear through the division with seven wins in his next eight bouts. Excluding the blemish on his record from Uriah Hall, the Dutchman's run from January 2015 to his final bout in April 2017 was nothing short of spectacular.
'The Dreamcatcher' faced killers at every turn but still managed to come out on top and be recognized as one of the best middleweights on the planet. The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion had stoppage wins over three MMA legends in Chris Weidman, Dan Henderson, and Vitor Belfort.
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At the height of his time with the UFC, Gegard Mousasi was ranked among the top five fighters in his weight class. He was possibly one or two wins away from a title shot when he left the promotion for Bellator.
What's next for Gegard Mousasi?
Currently sitting comfortably atop the Bellator middleweight mountain, Mousasi is quickly running out of top contenders to face. After taking Austin Vanderford's unbeaten record away from him on Saturday night, the champion is now searching for another challenger to test himself against.
The No. 2-ranked John Salter – despite having already lost to Mousasi – will be hoping to get another shot at Bellator gold when he faces the undefeated Johnny Eblen on March 12.
Of course, Mousasi could always step up a division in search of another title. However, there's one man who could pose a serious threat to his reign at middleweight.
Anatoly Tokov is an experienced Russian fighter with 16 knockouts and seven submission finishes in his 30 career wins so far. The 32-year-old has attained a perfect 6-0 record since joining Bellator. As of now, the No. 5-ranked middleweight is one win away from meeting Gegard Mousasi inside the cage.
