At UFC 210, on April 8th, top ranked middleweights Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman will square off in a highly anticipated showdown that could produce the next middleweight #1 contender.
While Weidman is entering the fight on a 2-fight skid that saw him drop back to back TKO losses to Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero, Mousasi is entering into the fight on a 4-fight win streak that has seen him recently pick up three straight KO/TKO wins over the course of 2016, with his record for the year ending at 4-0.
Ahead of the fight, Mousasi is confident that he has Weidman figured out. He spoke to MMAJunkie.
“I know how Chris Weidman’s going to fight,” Mousasi said on today’s UFC 210 conference call. “He’s going to come forward, he’s going to try to put the pressure on me, work on the cardio, do some wrestling, do some striking. But at the end of the day I’m prepared, I know exactly what he’s going to do, so I’m more than prepared. I got my skills, and I’m going to show it the 8th of April. I’m very confident, that’s all I can say.”
“I’m just speaking my mind,” Mousasi said. “I’m not acting. I’m not an actor. Some guys, they’re good at trash talking. They put on an act like WWE. But at the end of the day I’m just me, I’m just speaking my mind. I’m coming to fight.”
With the fight being a pivotal one in the middleweight division, Mousasi knows that in the midst of a stacked 185 pound division, he isn’t next in line for a title shot:
“I don’t think (I will get a title shot),” Mousasi said. “Yoel Romero is next, he’s the No. 1 contender. I’m not focused on the title right now. I’m just focused on Weidman, to get the win. That’s all.”
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/31/2017.