{"id":244231,"date":"2017-07-12T11:21:36","date_gmt":"2017-07-12T18:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=244231"},"modified":"2017-07-12T11:22:01","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T18:22:01","slug":"gegard-mousasi-will-not-getting-next-bellator-middleweight-title-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/gegard-mousasi\/gegard-mousasi-will-not-getting-next-bellator-middleweight-title-shot\/","title":{"rendered":"Gegard Mousasi will not be getting the next Bellator middleweight title shot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this week, we learned that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ and long-time UFC middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi had failed to agree on the terms of a new UFC contract, and that he would be moving to the world’s second biggest MMA promotion, Bellator MMA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Given Mousasi’s stature as one of the finest middleweights on the planet, it was immediately assumed that he’d walk right through the doors to a Bellator middleweight title shot opposite reigning champion Rafael Carvalho<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mousasi also made it clear that this was his hope<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to be champion there,\u201d he said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. \u201cIf I achieve that, I look forward to going a division up and getting the 205 belt. But first the middleweight belt. That\u2019s my goal.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As it turns out, however, this may not be the way things unfold. While Mousasi has said that he expects to debut in the Bellator cage in September or October, the champ Carvalho recently announced that he’s already signed to defend his title in December in Italy \u2013 and not against Mousasi.<\/p>\n

Instead, Carvalho says he’s defending his belt against another UFC veteran in Italian action-fighter Alessio Sakara.<\/p>\n

\"Alessio<\/p>\n

\n

“The plan continues the same,\u201d Carvalho told MMAFighting.com<\/a> on Tuesday. “I signed the contract today to fight\u00a0Alessio Sakara\u00a0in December, so it’s done.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In Carvalho’s opinion, it wouldn’t be fair for Mousasi to jump to the front of the middleweight contender line anyway.<\/p>\n

\n

“I don\u2019t think it\u2019s right to have Mousasi fighting for the title right away,\u201d he said. “He should fight once or twice to prove he deserves this chance. It would be disrespectful to other fighters who are competing for their opportunities in the division. It would be unfair. If Bellator did that, it would be the same thing the UFC does to other fighters, and that’s not nice.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The logic here, of course, is just a tad flawed, as Sakara has yet to fight in the Bellator middleweight division. Though he’s fought at 185 pounds in the past, his two Bellator fights \u2013 knockouts of Brian Rogers and Joey Beltran \u2013 have both occurred at light heavyweight.<\/p>\n

Do you think Gegard Mousasi deserves an immediate middleweight title shot? If that’s what he wants, it sounds like he’ll have to wait till the new year, when Carvalho and Sakara have settled their score.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i>BJPenn.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0on 7\/12\/2017.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this week, we learned that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ and long-time UFC middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi had failed to agree on the terms of a new UFC contract, and that he would be moving to the world’s second biggest MMA promotion, Bellator MMA. Given Mousasi’s stature as one of the finest middleweights on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54430,"featured_media":210714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10349],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nGegard Mousasi will not be getting the next Bellator middleweight title shot | BJPenn.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/gegard-mousasi\/gegard-mousasi-will-not-getting-next-bellator-middleweight-title-shot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gegard Mousasi will not be getting the next Bellator middleweight title shot | BJPenn.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Earlier this week, we learned that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ and long-time UFC middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi had failed to agree on the terms of a new UFC contract, and that he would be moving to the world’s second biggest MMA promotion, Bellator MMA. 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