Gegard Mousasi has proven himself to be one of MMA‘s most-decorated fighters, promotion notwithstanding. Although Mousasi hasn’t set foot inside a cage in more than a year’s time, he’s currently one victory away from a noteworthy milestone in his MMA career. Whenever he fights next, in whatever organization, another win would net him 50 as a professional.
The number 50 is a notable accomplishment in sports, no matter the discipline or competition being waged. Almost 30 years ago, during a strike-shortened season in Major League Baseball, outfielder Albert Belle, in his seventh year in the big leagues with the then-Cleveland Indians, hit 50 home runs and collected 50 doubles over the course of a truncated 144-game regular year.
Belle finished his playing career after the 2000 MLB season having hit 381 home runs along with a .295 batting average. On the gridiron of football, the 2007 New England Patriots season was almost an undefeated one with quarterback Tom Brady breaking Peyton Manning’s four-year-old league record for touchdown passes with 50.
Mousasi Must Find a New Home Now
Back to the sport of MMA, Gegard Mousasi made an appearance on Wednesday’s edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to discuss the fact that he wasn’t given an opponent for his 61st career fight, despite re-signing with Bellator MMA after the expiry of his previous pact.
In the interim period, the Professional Fighters League consummated a merger with Bellator MMA last November and the PFL hadn’t considered putting Mousasi on the Bellator Champions Series or on the PFL regular season.
“I’ve talked to [PFL Head of Fighter Operations] Mike Kogan because he’s the only one that still talks [to me] a little bit,” Mousasi began. “Basically, they feel like I make too much money, and [Cris] Cyborg also, and those fighters, too. But I know Ryan Bader is making the same amount, [Sergio] Pettis is making the same amount, [the] Pitbull brothers, I don’t know both, but they make roughly the same amount. So it’s not like– whoever they cannot let fight because they make too much money, they just don’t let them fight.”
Mousasi Promises Litigation
In the same interview with Helwani, Gegard Mousasi vowed to file suit against the PFL unless he was given fair wages,
“At this moment, I’m like, Listen, if someone [doesn’t] want me,’ I’m like ‘(Expletive deleted,) I’ll go,'” he mentioned. “But my team around me is like ‘(Expletive deleted), we’ll sue them.’ If it [were] up to me, I would just go, but I don’t know. We’ll see. The team around me is not happy. So I think there is going to be legal action against them.”
The reaction to Mousasi’s desire to sue the promotion was swift. On Thursday afternoon, one day removed from his appearance on the show, he was released from his deal with the organization.
PFL/Bellator Official Fighter Roster Update pic.twitter.com/8yi9TPqE3Q
— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 23, 2024
Mousasi’s Manager Responds
In the aftermath of Gegard Mousasi getting released from his contract, his manager Nima Safapour offered up her two cents on the matter by way of a text message to USA Today’s MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.
“We will not comment on the merits of the alleged release at this time for obvious reasons,” Safapour texted. “However, we believe that there is a greater lesson to be learned here that our community should pay attention to. For an organization that repeatedly claims to be ‘fighter first,’ we now truly see how PFL treats their fighters, especially their legends.”
Gegard Mousasi's manager Nima Safapour has issued a statement to me on PFL announcing Mousasi’s release from Bellator. pic.twitter.com/d88iWuS8vo
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) May 23, 2024
Any time that a fighter threatens legal action against the organization that he or she is contracted to, it no doubt creates a messy situation for everyone involved, especially given that lawsuits, when once filed, can take years to resolve. It’s an arduous process and there are often no winners in such a scenario.
Time Running Out on Mousasi
Although Gegard Mousasi is now free and clear to engage in contract talks with other MMA and/or combat sports promotions if he so chooses, the time has come to face the facts. At 38 years of age, his career as a fighter will not last much longer.
With 60 career professional MMA fights logged, how much more does Gegard Mousasi have left in the proverbial gas tank? As of now, the future of his MMA career hangs in the balance with Mousasi on a two-fight losing streak. A little more than one year ago, he was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision at the hands of
Whether or not he ever fights again is a big question mark.
Final Thoughts
When the PFL acquired Bellator MMA right before the Thanksgiving holiday last fall, to a man, MMA fans had to suspect that there would be hiccups along the way. Given the latest dust-up involving Mousasi, this marriage has proven to be anything but stylish.
Now that Gegard Mousasi is no longer a member of the active roster, one must wonder two things: First and foremost: Will Cris Cyborg be booked for a fight in the near future?
Second, and the salient question to ask given the developments with Gegard Mousasi: Has Mousasi exited an MMA cage for the final time?
