After finishing tough opponents in 08, Gegard Mousasi became a household name in the MMA community. Although, Mousasi fought in Pride FC before, his rise to stardom was not complete until he became the Dreams’ Middleweight GP 08 champion. He faced formidable opponents in the tourney: including the elite striker, Melvin Manhoef; and the submission specialist, Jacare. In the the end, Mousasi finished both fighters in the first round.

Recently, Nerdsociety interviewed Mousasi about his future, his thoughts on the U.S. MMA market and what he likes to do in his spare time. In the first part of the interview, Mousasi talks about his start in MMA, the fights in the tournament, and his future.

Nerdsociety(NS): How did you get started in MMA?
Gegard Mousasi(GM): As a child I did some judo. When I was 15 I went to boxing. After some time, I did kick boxing. My brother was doing grappling so I joined him and I started to fight MMA.

NS: What’s your philosophy going into a fight, you always look calm?
GM: Some fighters need to pump themselves up when they fight. So did I, but after a couple of fights, I figured that staying calm, focused, and relaxed worked better for me. Every fighters’ mindset is different going into a fight.

NS: What’s your most memorable moment in MMA?
GM: When I fought Gregory Bouchelagham in Cage Warriors. Even though Cage Warriors is a smaller organization, it was the first belt that I’ve won. I always wanted a belt and I was happy that I finally got one.

NS: Who was your toughest opponent and why?
GM: That’s a tough question, I’m not sure. Some of my fights against good fighters ended early, like against Melvin Manhoef, Jacare, and Dennis Kang. They all had potential to be my toughest fight. Maybe, my toughest fight is still to come, so that sucks (laughing).

NS: Dennis Kang was considered a top-5 MW when you fought him, did you expect to submit him in the first round?
GM: No, but I watched his fights. I noticed that as the fight went longer, he became weaker. He gets tired. So, my gameplan was to finish him in the second round.

Manhoef picking up Mousasi

NS: You fought Melvin Manhoef, one of the most feared strikers in MMA, what was that like?
GM: Going into the fight, I knew what I had to do. I was doubting myself in the beginning of my training. But when fight day came, I was 100% sure that I could beat him. It was my training that gave me confidence.

NS: After you tightened up the triangle on Manhoef, he lifted you up. Did you ever think of letting go of the submission? I was thinking Arona/Jackson again.
GM: When he picked me up he had to slam me right away because he didn’t have much leverage. I was hanging onto his neck with my entire body, so I knew that I could take the slam. I wasn’t high up in the air anymore.

NS: What’s your favorite submission?
GM: Triangle choke because it’s easy for me. I have long legs

Mousasi finishing Kang with his favorite submission.

NS: Who would you like to fight next?
GM: No one in particular. I’ll fight anybody they put in front of me. Maybe Bob Sapp, that would be a funny fight.

Mousasi knocking out Jacare with an upkick to win the GP

That concludes the first part of the interview. Make sure to come back next week as Mousasi talks about Affliction, his thoughts on the number one pound for pound fighter his current favorite video game and much much more.

Also check out our Enson Inoue interviews as he discusses Pride’s backstage politics and his fight with UFC legend Randy Couture:
Part 1
Part 2

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