Mousasi criticized the partnership between UFC and Reebok (Photo: Reproduction-Facebook UFC)
With a calm and interview-averse style, Gegard Mousasi became the main topic of the week when he announced his departure from the UFC and headed to Bellator. Asked what his motivations were for the change, the Iranian-born Dutchman stated that one of the reasons is the agreement that Ultimate has with Reebok, which prevents fighters from obtaining individual sponsorship during their fights. There were complaints even from the company's new owners.
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“Reebok is bad for the UFC, they don’t even make good shorts or pants. I don't know if the new owners (WME-IMG) understand what they are doing. This is not entertainment, it is different from entertainment. This is fighting.” declared Mousasi, in an interview with the program “The MMA Hour”.
However, unlike many fighters who leave the UFC, Mousasi assured that he had no relationship problems with the company. Although he has always been treated well, the European admits that he was frustrated to see Robert whittaker get ahead of him in the race for a shot at the middleweight belt.
“It’s also about treatment and receiving opportunities. On the other hand, the UFC treated me well. I have nothing bad to say about them. (…) I thought I was ahead of him. That's my opinion. I respect Whittaker a lot, he's a great guy and congratulations on winning the belt. But I believe if they had come out and said, “You’re fighting for the interim belt,” things would have gotten more interesting,” he concluded.
At 31 years old, Mousasi has won five consecutive victories, the four recent ones by knockout: he defeated, in sequence, Thales leites, Thiago Marreta, Vitor belfort, Uriah Hall e Chris Weidman. He has a vast CV, having started his career at the age of 17, in 2003, months before coming of age. He played in major events such as Pride, Dream and Strikeforce, in addition to the UFC. His record is 42 wins, six losses and two draws. The Armenian leaves Ultimate as the number four middleweight in the world in the organization's rankings.
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