Mousasi: Title Shot, UFC Future Could Be on Line Against Jardine

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Gegard Mousasi sees his matchup Saturday against Keith Jardine as a huge opportunity.

The bout, set for the main card of Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley,” could set Mousasi up for a title fight against champion Dan Henderson.

“If I win this, I get a title shot in Strikeforce hopefully,” Mousasi said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “It all depends of course on how I perform, but I just need to win every fight and I think it will be OK. This fight is important. I think this one is a deal breaker or maker. I need to win this one.”

Mousasi also believes a win over Jardine and a subsequent victory over Henderson could set up another big bout.

“If I win the light heavyweight belt, then there’s more meaning for me to go to the UFC,” he said. “Because then champion versus champion can be done.”

First, though, Mousasi must get by Jardine. The UFC veteran is replacing Mike Kyle, who withdrew from the matchup with a broken hand. Mousasi did not sound fazed by the opponent switch.

“It’s not that big of a problem because [Jardine is] more of a standup fighter, not a wrestler, so it’s not affecting me a lot,” Mousasi said. “I train more for standup fighters. … My training is just sparring. It’s not that specific. Just train, and fighting is fighting. People make like a science of the fighting. It doesn’t matter who the opponent [is]. I train for a fight. It’s not like rocket science.”

Mousasi complimented Jardine’s right hand as well as his experience and the fact that he trains with a strong camp at Jackson’s MMA. However, he seems less concerned with his opponent than with how long he’s been training for a fight. Mousasi said he was told that he would be fighting Kyle in February, then in March, then in April.

“My motivation for training the last couple of weeks was very difficult. For dieting, for training, because I was training for four months for this fight,” he explained. “At the end the motivation was not that much. You train four months and there was a lack of concentration and motivation.”

The motivation is there now, however, since the UFC bought Strikeforce.

“There’s a little bit more pressure now because there’s no competition,” Mousasi said. “If you screw up, you’re screwed yourself. There’s more pressure, but other than that, I can just fight the best that I can. I hope they like my style.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:08:50).