Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

[Pazooki]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

It's official. Mousasi to make U.S. debut at The Pond.

Btw, I might get tickets for that fight.

Mostly for Gegard's and Fedor's fight.

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

Mousasi preparing to make his U.S. debut next month a memorable one.

http://newsblaze.com/story/20090708135537trie.nb/topstory.html

Young & Hungry: Gegard Mousasi's California Dreaming


"All my focus is on Gegard Mousasi," asserts current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral (32-8-0) about his upcoming bout with the fast rising star. "He is a huge challenge for me. I look forward to stepping in there against a former Dream Middleweight Champion. This fight will be champion vs. champion."

Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi (25-2-1) moved up in weight and will compete in a light middleweight bout against Sobral for Affliction M-1 Global's "Trilogy" on August 1st at Honda Center in Anaheim. He has an impressive record, is currently ranked the #3 middleweight in the world by Sherdog and #7 middleweight by MMAWeekly, and made the majority of last year's "Fighter of the Year" lists. Mousasi defeated Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza for the Dream title last September and heavyweight Mark Hunt in the first round of DREAM's highly-publicized Super-Hulk Tournament at Dream 9.

Mousasi is managed under the Red Devil International banner, the same association Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko fights under, and the two have worked out together. Fedor, whose headline fight with Josh Barnett for "Trilogy" promises to be a blockbuster match up, has influenced Mousasi in a number of ways. The young fighter even speaks in the same calm, collected manner as the heavyweight champ. "Training with him, that's also one of the reasons I thought I can be a heavyweight," says Mousasi of Fedor. "Standing next to Fedor, I feel so much bigger than him. When you train with him, he feels like a middleweight. He's as strong as a heavyweight but as fast as a middleweight, so I think that makes him special. If I can take my speed as a middleweight, have that explosiveness and mobility and move up to heavyweight, I think that's something a lot of them don't have."

And Mousasi has the same quiet confidence in his abilities as Fedor, too. "I feel always that I'm physically stronger than my opponents. I feel like my opponents can't hurt me because I'm always comfortable in stand-up and there hasn't been a fighter that's ground-and-pounded me," he says. "I feel like I can hurt them, but they can't hurt me."

Still, Mousasi anticipates that facing Sobral in the ring will be a tough trial of his skills. "It's a good test for me, I'm training very hard for it," says the Dutch-Armenian mixed martial artist. "Babalu is a big challenge. I like the way he fights-he fights to win. He's a real fighter. I like fighters who come to fight. This fight will be and all out war. I think the fans will get an exciting fight."

Sobral agrees. "Mousasi is a great match for me. (It's) a great match for him, too. He's a true champion. People might not know him in the U.S., but he's a true fighter. I'm very impressed with him."

Sobral will pose the biggest challenge for Mousasi on the ground, where his years of experience and expertise will be a threat. "I think he will be the better wrestler and Jiu-Jitsu guy," says Mousasi. "But none of that matters-this is MMA."

And what does Mousasi bring to the table to try to unhinge Sobral's advantage on the ground? "He's hungry to fight," states Babalu, "That's the big difference. We both have great styles, so this fight will come down to youth vs. experience. Mousasi is a young, hungry fighter. He wants it. Against him I have the experience and strategy and the fight's in my backyard. That makes me think it's equal. We will see which mindset wins out."

"Even if he could take me down, I don't see him (being able to) ground and pound me," says Mousasi of Sobral. "I don't see him getting mount or top position (or) that he can do any damage. I don't see him submit(ting) me. So eventually it'll be a stand up fight again. And sooner or later, I'll catch him." Mousasi, who is enjoying an incredible 12 victory winning streak will be making his American fight debut at "Trilogy"-a great opportunity to increase his fast growing fan base.

"I'm going to fight stand up. If I can take him down, I'll take him down," the six-foot-one, two-hundred and sixteen pound competitor asserts. "I feel strong, I feel explosive. I'm very confident. I think I can beat him."

GoDaddy.com presents Affliction M-1 Global "Trilogy" featuring Fedor vs. Barnett in association with Golden Boy Promotions and Donald J Trump. The show is separated into two live broadcasts on the same night-a one-hour special will air on HDNet starting at 7:30 PM/ET (4:30 PM/PT), followed by the sensational Pay-Per-View event, "Trilogy," commencing at 9 PM/ET (6 PM/PT).

Tickets for Affliction M-1 Global's "Trilogy," ranging between $50.00 and $600.00, go on sale June 8th at Honda Center Box Office (1.714.704.2500), and also online at Ticketmaster.com and at all Ticket Master outlets (1.714.740.2000).

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

His August 1st US debut was delayed two weeks after Affliction got out of promoting business and basically folded up shop. Re-scheduled as Strikeforce event for August 15. Also, buzz that the Vagabond is training with Freddie Roach.

[Pazooki]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

I thought the event was canceled because Josh Barnett failed the drug test so the main event was moved to August 15th?

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/sports/04fighter.html

"Emelianenko had been scheduled to fight Josh Barnett on Saturday in Anaheim, Calif., in a fight promoted by Affliction Entertainment. But on July 22, the California State Athletic Commission announced that it would not issue a license to fight for Barnett because he had tested positive for steroids. Affliction canceled the bout, then folded as a fight promoter, leaving Emelianenko and other fighters as free agents."

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

Mousasi tapped out against Fedor in sparring exhibition bout at M-1 Global in Kansas City, MO on Friday night, August 28, 2009. http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?...nkie&type=lgns

"Despite the brutal finish to the main event, the loudest cheers of the night were reserved for the sparring exhibition between the famed heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi. Punctuated by several high-flying sambo throws, the sparring was surprisingly competitive compared to Emelianenko's past exhibition against Shinya Aoki in Japan. Mousasi was able to attempt an early armbar as well as a late omo plata, and he also took Emelianenko down twice in the match.

However, Emelianenko's explosive sambo throws eventually proved too much for the Strikeforce champ, as after a few minutes of back-and-forth action, Fedor sent Mousasi flying head-over-heels for the last time and quickly locked in a fight-ending armbar which forced his light heavyweight opponent to tap."

[Karabed]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbmBCiOz5ME

[Armanen]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

Gegard is fighting this Saturday on CBS at 8 PM CT! Primetime baby! Don't miss it, and those of you in the Chicagoland area should go see him, there are still some tickets available.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce:_Fedor_vs_Rogers

[Pazooki]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

AHahha thanks for posting it.

I was gonna get around to it but Im too lazy

the whole fight card is awesome if you know the fighters

can't wait for all 4 main events

[Armanen]

Re: Gegard Mousasi - Armenian MMA out of Europe

AHahha thanks for posting it.

I was gonna get around to it but Im too lazy

the whole fight card is awesome if you know the fighters

can't wait for all 4 main events

Yes, the entire card is stacked! Best of all is that it is free!

I got Werdum over Silva
Shields over Miller
Mousasi over Sok
And of course Fedor over Rogers.