Following his dominant victory over Uriah Hall in Belfast this weekend at UFC Fight Night 99, main event winner Gegard Mousasi is now focused on getting a number one contender matchup that will guarantee him a crack at the UFC middleweight championship.
‘The Dreamcatcher’ erased the memory of his TKO loss to Uriah Hall last September in Japan by dishing out some vicious ground and pound late into the first round before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
His fourth straight victory in 2016 makes him one of the in-form fighters in the UFC 185lb division and speaking at the post-fight press conference, he said his goal is to now get a fight that will bring him one step closer to a title fight.
“First fight, he won fair and square,” Mousasi said. “I give credit to Uriah, he stepped up, he gave me a rematch. I have to respect that. He’s a nice guy. But this is behind me. I’m tired of that stupid highlight every time I see that stupid kick in my face. I’m tired of it so I can put it behind me. I’ll look forward to go for the title soon.”
So who makes sense next? Well according to Mousasi it has to be a highly ranked opponent or what he considers to be a superfight to keep his name relevant. Whoever he gets, he wants a guarantee that his next win will ensure him the next crack at the UFC middleweight strap.
“Anderson Silva, Nick Diaz as a super fight, that’s a great fight for me; but to get to a title shot, maybe Luke Rockhold,” Mousasi said. “It depends on UFC. If they give me top-10, top-15, number two, I’ll take the fight as long as they give me the next title shot. I’m ready to take anyone.”