Gegard Mousasi and his team feel they are not a priority for the PFL.
Former champion Mousasi has not been booked for a fight since the promotion acquired Bellator. His last appearance was 11 months ago, which added to his frustration.
PFL president Ray Sefo said Mousasi had been offered at least one fight, but it was unclear when communication broke down between the two sides. However, Mousasi turned down the fight because the fighter and his team did not consider it a “real offer” as it was at a higher weight class at the time of his six weeks’ notice.
Mousasi’s manager, Nima Safapour, told MMA Junkie that she is willing to work out terms for a return to competition, but believes Mousasi has been put on the back burner due to the promotion.
“First of all, let me say that I like Ray Sefo and always considered him a good friend. From the bottom of my heart,” Safapour told MMA Junkie. “That being said, since when did offering a fight outside of a fighter’s weight class become a real offer?” Jon Jones spent a year bulking up to fight in HW. But should Geghard think the only way to win a fight is to move up a weight class with six weeks’ notice? A real offer is offering a fight to someone in your actual weight class.
“We asked for Ray Cooper and were told he wasn’t available. And a few weeks later they booked Ray for the same event we asked him to fight. So , we actually feel like it’s not a priority and we’re not putting in any meaningful effort. And when a fighter falls off the card, we ask to fight (and are told we can’t participate). ) people get a call, but we don’t. And there’s no way a fighter would suddenly agree to an unfair weight handicap, so it makes sense to keep a fighter on the sideline for a year and a half. That’s not the point.”
Safapour continued:
“Ironically, Gegard is such a gangster that he told them he was going to play in the PFL season tournament with 205 if given more options. It’s not ideal, but we’re willing to compromise and give everyone a chance. But we haven’t heard anything back from them. did.
“It’s very simple. At the beginning of the year, we asked them to sit down and plan how they would utilize Geghardt in 2024. If that is a priority for them, they will When they wanted to schedule a match for Patricio “Pitbull” on short notice, they did it. So it comes down to whether they want to do it or not. So, to an outsider, it certainly doesn’t seem like doing Geghard a disservice is a priority for them. ”
Although the two sides have gone back and forth in the media, Safapour said the conversation about Mousasi, 38, is the same, so it makes no difference that it all happens behind closed doors.
“If they are going to use Geghard, why don’t they put his name out there, especially when promoting pay-per-view events in Riyadh?” Safapour said. “We can only infer from their actions. And at this point, unfortunately, their actions sound very different from what they’re telling us behind closed doors and in public.” .
“No one who understands the sport can deny that Geghardt is one of the best middleweights of all time. He has earned the right to fight and has a binding contract with Bellator. I hope they can turn things around and act rationally and ethically, because Mr. Gegard can make a great contribution to the platform, but that’s not what he’s ever wanted. Everything.”
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