Gegard Mousasi Likes Being Busy Ahead of Bellator 282
Gegard Mousasi has a mixed martial arts record of 49-7-2. He could pick up his 50th win this Friday at Bellator 282 when he faces the undefeated Johnny Eblen but on media day, he talked about the fight and his career the way a day laborer talks about his job, and that’s kind of what makes him scary.
He’s been busy as champion and while it may seem like something that could run its course, or get tiring, Mousasi says it’s been the opposite. When asked how it’s been so far being so busy he said it’s “better.” He added, “Better in that I don’t yo-yo so much in my weight, with Corona (COVID-19) you only fight twice a year. I’m not the youngest anymore so I want to keep busy and go to the fights as quickly as possible.”
Eblen will be the third man to try to topple the middleweight champion and rightfully so. He’s the current number 1 ranked middleweight in the Bellator MMA rankings. There’s a lot of similarity between him and the last challenger, Austin Vanderford who was undefeated before he faced Mousasi. It would seem the rankings are like a to-do laundry list for Mousasi, especially if he wins on Friday but he does not think that’s the case. There are some names that stand out to him.
“The only ones that stand out are (Anatol) Tokov and Fabian (Edwards) that recently won,” Mousasi said and added, “There’s always an upcoming guy.”
Right now the upcoming guy is Eblen and the undefeated fighter brings a heavy wrestling pedigree that could be a problem on Friday night. But that’s what Mousasi likes about these challenges, “every guy I think makes me better.”
Mousasi and Eblen square off in the main event of Bellator 282 this Friday on SHOWTIME on a card that features two Bantamweight World Grand Prix fights and a stacked undercard. Check out the full media scrum footage above.
