Gegard Mousasi Gets Revenge on Lyoto Machida
Gegard Mousasi, the 34 year-old Dutch MMA middleweight fighter finally got his chance to get revenge on Lyoto Machida. The pair had previously met five years ago.
During his career, Mousasi has had many wins and few losses. The first time the Dutch MMA fighter fought Machida in February 2014, he lost based on a unanimous decision. Mousasi had long anticipated a rematch against Machida, after accusing Machida of using performance-enhancing drugs.
This time around though the Dutch fighter won based on a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27). The fight happened at the main event of Bellator 228 on September 28, 2019.
Machida, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, was able to hang on to a guillotine choke submission at the end of the fight, but Mousasi was able to gut it out until the final bell rang. The pair then embraced and talked in the cage after the fight, which shows that the bad blood between them has now been put to rest.
Following a post-fight interview, Mousasi said “The guillotine was tight, but nothing I would have tapped for.” He also discusses how important his victory was over Machida.
What Happened During the Fight?
Machida and Mousasi are two of the most strategic and technical fighters in the middleweight division, so it should have come as no surprise to fans that this contest was tight. Both men were able to put up a good fight and really commit to the match.
Mousasi landed a good right hand on Machida in the first and was able to blitz his way in for a combination in the second, whilst Machida landed good leg kicks throughout the match.
In the third round, Mousasi was able to land a left hook and then took Machida off his feet with a leg kick. During the final minutes, Machida landed a left head kick and Mousasi followed that up by tripping Machida to the mat by grabbing his leg.
Mousasi was on top form for the rest of the fight, despite Machida’s final move at the end of the match.
According to Rozamond Visser, a sports expert from adviesjagers.nl, “Mousasi is ranked as one of the best MMA middleweight fighters in the world. The dutch fighter is resilient and very tactical when it comes to his career, so this win against Machida must have filled him with delight, especially given how long this rematch took to happen.”
Who Will Mousasi Face Next?
Mousasi has his sights on next rematching with Rafael Lovato Jr. who he fought in June 2019 and lost the title. After a five-round majority decision, Lovato Jr. was titled the champion of the match. But the results didn’t sit well with Mousasi, who accused Lovato Jr. of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Mousasi recently retweeted “Next fight I’m gonna kill him” and he has previously stated that if he loses during their rematch, that he will retire.
