It appears a fight between former Bellator champion Gegard Mousasi and Derek Brunson is in the works, but both fighters aren’t yet on the same page.
Mousasi (49-9-2), who hasn’t competed since a unanimous decision loss to Fabian Edwards at Bellator 296 in May, recently took to social media and revealed a matchup Brunson (24-9), who is coming off a successful PFL debut win this month over Ray Cooper III, is being discussed.
According to Mousasi, Brunson turned down the fight on three occasions (via X):
Update:PFL wants to fight me very soon against @DerekBrunson . Derek refused to accept the fight again. He said he wanted nothing to do with it. 3x he has refused to fight me over the years.The fans lose. Let’s hope PFL can find me a MW. I am ready @BretOkomotoESPN @arielhelwani pic.twitter.com/LNM5jHjAsp
— Gegard Mousasi (@mousasi_mma) December 20, 2023
Update: PFL wants to fight me very soon against @DerekBrunson. Derek refused to accept the fight again. He said he wanted nothing to do with it. 3x he has refused to fight me over the years.The fans lose. Let’s hope PFL can find me a MW. I am ready.
The accusation didn’t sit well with Brunson. The former longtime UFC middleweight contender told MMA Junkie after his PFL debut that he’s seeking notable fights, and with crossover possibilities available now that PFL and Bellator are under the same ownership, Mousasi would seemingly fit the bill.
Brunson said he’s in no way avoiding Mousasi, but the timeline he was presented doesn’t fit his current life plans (via X):
Stop the cap 🧢 @mousasi_mma. No one is avoiding you . I’m enjoying the holidays with my family and kids . I already missed thanksgiving. I won’t accept a fight that I can’t dedicate a camp to . Goofy a*** boy 😂😂😂
Mousasi responded with frustration to Brunson’s comments. He said the word from PFL brass has differed from what his potential opponent is claiming publicly, and Mousasi mocked Brunson while teasing the fight could still happen (via X):
Holidays? Very different than what PFL told us and you know even with Christmas you have plenty of time for a camp. The date was far out. Easy on the cheeseburgers and don’t lie, you are not a real LHW. See you soon.
If the bout between Mousasi, 38, and Brunson, 39, eventually materializes, it would be a long time coming. The veteran of the now-defunct Strikeforce organization were scheduled to meet at UFC 200 in July 2016, but Brunson was forced to withdraw due to vision issues.
Mousasi defeated replacement opponent Thiago Santos by first-round knockout on the UFC 200 card, and he hasn’t been linked to another fight with Brunson until now.
