Gegard Mousasi reacts to Khabib Nurmagomedov calling him the "most underrated fighter in MMA"
Following his dominant win over Austin Vanderford to retain his Bellator middleweight title, Gegard Mousasi earned the respect and praise of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The then-undefeated American wrestler was expected to pose serious problems for the 56-fight veteran, but that wasn't the case. Mousasi, the 185lb champion, made short work of the challenger, getting him out of there in a little over a minute.
Gegard Mousasi has now responded to Khabib calling him the most underrated fighter in the sport, saying:
"A lot of friends forwarded it [the message] to me, and of course, I saw it. I appreciate this comment because I feel that way [too]. Now I'm getting a little bit of credit but I have to honestly say I never felt the best middleweight. So I never claimed to be the best middleweight."
The 36-year-old continued, insisting that early in his career he never planned to be known as the best, he just wanted to make money. Now, he agrees with those who call him underrated and believes he's the greatest middleweight in the world:
"I never wanted to be the best, I always wanted to make money. That was my own thing, I never wanted to be the best, I thought, 'Okay, as long as I do this many fights, I earn this much and I'm out of here.' But now I'm there that I can see I'm the best, hundred percent."
Khabib Nurmagomedov showed nothing but admiration for the Dutchman after making his second defense of the title at Bellator 275.
@mousasi_mma is the most underrated fighter in MMA today.
Congratulations Gegard #Bellator275
Listen to what Mousasi had to say about Khabib and more in his 21-minute long interview below:
What's next for Gegard Mousasi?
As he currently sits at No.4 in the Bellator pound-for-pound rankings, Gegard Mousasi is comfortably one of the best talents the promotion has to offer.
The MMA veteran is a two-time Bellator middleweight champion. As things stand, he looks set to hold onto the belt for the foreseeable future. After his win over Vanderford, what's next for the champ?
Another undefeated prospect could be on his way to contend for the belt after Johnny Eblen managed to earn a decision victory over former title challenger John Salter.
The 32-fight veteran in Anatoly Tokov could be a threat to the middleweight throne as well. With one or two more wins, we could see Mousasi defending his title against the Russian powerhouse.