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New Strikeforce champ Gegard Mousasi staying at 205 pounds for "two or three years"
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."
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."