Gegard Mousasi blasts UFC matchmaking and pay: ‘Why don’t I deserve to make some money?’

[Edge Guerrero]

by Jed Meshew @JedKMeshew Apr 4, 2017

Not that long ago, Gegard Mousasi was known for his unflappable stoicism both in and outside of the cage. But with the recent direction the UFC has taken regarding matchmaking, all of that is out the window and Mousasi is speaking his mind.

Mousasi is coming off an impressive 2016 which saw him score four wins over ranked middleweights, three of them knockouts. He’s set to take on yet another ranked opponent this weekend at UFC 210, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Under normal circumstances, a win this weekend would all but guarantee Mousasi a title shot, but nothing is normal about the UFC middleweight division these days.

Currently, the middleweight division has a backlog of qualified competitors waiting in limbo while champion Michael Bisping defends his belt against former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Bisping’s title run has been fraught with criticism for eschewing higher ranked opponents in favor of “money fights.” Fans and fighters alike have lambasted the UFC for booking these matchups and Mousasi recently boiled over at the “silly fights” that, he feels, have denied him a chance to fight for the belt.

“At first they made the Dan Henderson fight that didn’t make any sense.” Mousasi told the Fight Society podcast recently. “The number one contender didn’t fight then. Now they’re making the GSP fight and Michael Bisping hasn’t fought for a long time. So the number one contender has to wait again. If the number one contenders would have fought in those two fights, I would have been next by now but because the UFC is making these silly fights, [I] get pushed around. So now if I win, I’m going to have to put everything on the line again and get another win and then maybe I’m next. And still maybe, because who knows what fight they’re going to make after this.

“I deserve [a title shot]. ‘Jacare’ has deserved a shot already. Yoel Romero deserves his shot. Why aren’t we getting our title shots? What can I say. They’re just stalling or whatever. Now they’re saying GSP may not want to fight until January or whatever. Make GSP fight Anderson Silva. If they want to have a super fight, make GSP vs. Anderson. Even if he wins, he’s going to vacate the title. It’s as simple as that. He’s not going to defend against a top middleweight. He’s just looking for a fight and then he will go. He will go fight somebody else.”

Source http://www.mmafighting.com/2017/4/4/15172936/morning-report-gegard-mousasi-blasts-ufc-matchmaking-pay-why-dont-i-deserve-to-make-some-money