Gegard Mousasi will be headlining Bellator 200 this week when he fights Bellator Middleweight champion, Rafael Carvalho. This will be the second outing for Mousasi under the Bellator banner after his long run with the UFC came to an end last year.
In his debut fight in Bellator, Mousasi picked up a win over former champion Alexander Shlemenko and he also paid the price as he suffered a nasty eye injury. Now that he is recovered from the injury, Mousasi feels that the timing is perfect for his return.
“I had to give my eye time to recover. So that’s what we did. It took some time. This timing was good. I could have fought here or L.A. — that was two options for me. Bellator decided to have the fight in London. It took a couple months before the eye was better. I needed the time to recover. If I [fought earlier], then I would’ve rushed it. Some injuries, it’s trauma, so even if you’re healed up, if you think about it, it’s gonna affect the way you’re gonna fight. If you [think], ‘I’m injured,’ you might fight very differently. I think it was good to take the time,” Mousasi told during an interview with Bloody Elbow.
The retirement plans
Mousasi further went on to reveal that he would consider retirement once his Bellator contract runs out. He currently has five fights left in his contract including the showdown with Carvalho at Bellator 200.
“After five fights — it’s gonna take two, three years — I’m gonna be a little bit older. I was thinking for retirement, to be honest, after five fights. Fighting is always a risky business; it’s not the easiest way to make money. You have to think about your health. You don’t want to have brain damage and all that stuff. That fight, it made me stop for a while, a little bit, maybe. Let’s say if I win the next five fights, you’re not gonna think about retirement. It’s too soon to say it. Two, three victories, a whole different attitude of what I’m going to do next,” he added.
Mousasi currently holds a professional record of 43-6 to his name and will be heading into the fight against Carvalho on a six-fight winning streak.
SHARE
