Mousasi leaves M1

[Mr. IWS]

Anyone find this weird? Gegard was practically being breast fed by Fedor. Goes and trains with GSP, now all the sudden, he fires M1.

Gegard Mousasi has left his management team with M-1 Global, the fighter told Sherdog.com via e-mail on Friday. M-1 Global also confirmed on Friday that the fighter and organization would no longer be working together.

“After careful consideration, I have decided that it is in my best interest to part ways with M-1 Global,” Mousasi wrote in the e-mail. “During the time I spent under their wing, M-1 Global, as a promoter and management company, allowed me to achieve many great things. I appreciate all they have done for me.”

M-1 Global, based out of Holland and Russia, had guided the Armenian-Dutch fighter’s career to two championship titles in the last few years.

The company also represents Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight, who has publicly stated that he has an ownership stake in the organization, as well.

“The business relationship with M-1 Global is over,” said company representative Apy Echteld. “It was a business decision, but not a personal one and there are no hard feelings.”

Echteld said he would continue to work with Mousasi apart from M-1, although Echteld will be staying with the organization. Echteld added that Emelianenko had expressed his hopes to train with Mousasi again in the future.

In addition to its own M-1 Challenge and M-1 Selection events, M-1 Global entered into a co-promotional agreement with Strikeforce in August. The two groups held their first joint event on Nov. 7 at the Sears Centre Arena outside of Chicago. Emelianenko and Mousasi both won bouts on the main card, which was broadcast live on CBS to four million viewers. Strikeforce and M-1 Global could hold their next joint event in April. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had previously stated that Mousasi might defend his 205-pound title against former world-ranked wrestler Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in April.

Mousasi, who won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in August, said he has a fight contract directly with the U.S.-based promotion and will continue to compete for it. Mousasi said he also still plans to enter the first round of Dream’s light heavyweight grand prix, rumored to begin this May in Japan.

The 24-year-old fighter said he has already obtained new representation but would not identify them.

“My management is being taken care of by someone close to me,” he wrote.

Mousasi recently returned to his native Holland following a two-week trip to the U.S. to train with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. He said he would like to come back to the states to train with Strikeforce lightweight contender Josh Thomson and his American Kickboxing Academy team in San Jose, Calif., after he hit it off with Thomson in Miami, Fla., for Strikeforce’s Jan. 30 event at the BankAtlantic Center. A return date has not been scheduled yet.

[SPX]

Very interesting.

"I have decided to part ways with M-1" = "I have decided I want to fight in the UFC."

I'm sure there's more there behind the scenes than we know, but perhaps this will prompt Fedor to do the same.

[zY|]

Very interesting.

"I have decided to part ways with M-1" = "I have decided I want to fight in the UFC."

I'm sure there's more there behind the scenes than we know, but perhaps this will prompt Fedor to do the same.

Yeah right. Fedor is part owner of M1.

[SPX]

Yeah right. Fedor is part owner of M1.

I've heard that, but I don't think he's really a main player and I would hope that eventually he'll realize he has to part ways with the organization or change the rules about co-promotion and all that bullshit.

[PITT 22]

Yeah I hope that Mousasi finishes out his SF contract and signs with the UFC, I really just want to see him fight Anderson Silva

[Mr. IWS]

What kind of journalist doesnt follow up with another question after hearing this:

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (6-0 MMA, 1-0 SF) is chomping at the bit to make a fight with Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1 MMA, 2-0 SF) at the second installment of "Strikeforce on CBS," which is expected for April.

All in good time, Mousasi assures.

"[Lawal] is confident," Mousasi recently told MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com). "But I'm more than happy to show him he's going to pay in the cage. I'm just more motivated to beat him, just because he likes himself so much. I think he's in front of the mirror 24 hours (a day)."

Mousasi last week broke from Strikeforce promotional partner M-1 Global and may have signed a long-term fight contract with the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion on his own as recently as last month.

As Mousasi vs. Lawal hovers in the "rumors" section of the fight world, Lawal recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio that the Dutch-Armenian could forge his signature to get things moving.

"Just write, 'M-O' and 'X,'" Lawal said. "If he wants to put the little crown and 'King Mo' inside, he can do that, too. That's how ready I am for this fight. That's how bad I want it."

Sign the fight, yes, Mousasi said. The crown, not so much.

"I don't know about the crown," he scoffed.

Then he thought for a moment.

"Maybe he's a nice guy," Mousasi continued. "Personally, if you get to know him, maybe he's a nice guy. But for me, now I have to fight him and I don't have to like him. And he's challenging constantly and blah, blah, blah, so I don't have to like him."

Lawal, a former Division I All-American collegiate wrestling champion, said that he was supposed to fight Mousasi on two occasions: at "M-1 Global: Breakthrough" this past August, and "Dynamite!! 2009: DREAM vs. World Victory Road" on New Year's Eve.

Mousasi disputes Lawal's claim that they were supposed to fight at "Breakthrough," though he concedes turning down Lawal as a potential opponent on the New Year's Eve event (in addition to Lawal, Mousasi was also offered fights with Jorge Santiago, Yosuke Nishijima and Kevin Randleman before settling on Gary Goodrige).

"I was doing the exhibition fight," Mousasi said of the M-1 Global card. "M-1 couldn't afford to pay me."

"I never said no. They offered these fights (on New Year's), and for a fight like [Lawal], I want to be prepared very well."

Which, in kind, Lawal said he wanted when he claims the fight was broached to him in August.

Mousasi chalks Lawal's confidence up to his undefeated record and said the bluster won't hold after they fight.

"Once you get knocked out once in your life, you're not the same fighter," Mousasi said. "He even challenges Fedor (Emelianenko) with six fights, so I don't know what to say about that.

"He's confident because he's never lost. I want to see how he reacts when I punch him, and how he fights then."

The Strikeforce light heavyweight champion still believes his wrestling deficit on paper is not enough to stop him from smashing Lawal.

"I have a good chin, and he's basically a wrestler with punches and ground and pound," Mousasi said. "I have the same ground and pound, even better, with submissions. His wrestling is the only thing that he's better. But I would say, in the clinch I would knee him, and I have my boxing, so I'm not worried."