Former Bellator Champion Gegard Mousasi Enters Free Agency After Release

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After 10 appearances under the Bellator MMA banner, former titleholder Gegard Mousasi is moving on.

The 38-year-old recently appeared on The MMA Hour, claiming that he has not been offered fights since the Professional Fighters League purchased Bellator at the end of the year. The PFL stated in April that Mousasi had been offered a fight at light heavyweight, but Mousasi did not accept. On Thursday, PFL and Bellator jointly announced through Mike Kogan, Bellator’s Head of Fighter Operations, that Mousasi had been released from his deal, while noting, “We wish him all the best in his next fighting chapter.”

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce talent told The MMA Hour on Wednesday that before Bellator was purchased, he had signed a new contract worth “a couple million [dollars].” He also stated that a potential miscommunication between the teams resulted in a lack of a fight being offered, with him noting that PFL officials may not have been made aware of his new contract until the purchase was finalized.

Mousasi last fought a little over a year ago, dropping a five-round decision to Fabian Edwards at Bellator 296. This setback put “The Dreamcatcher” on the very first losing streak of his lengthy career, as he previously surrendered his middleweight throne to Johnny Eblen in 2022. Mousasi held the Bellator belt on two separate occasions, first snatching it from Rafael Carvalho in 2018 and then reclaiming it against Douglas Lima in 2020. The Dutch ex-kickboxer has faced a veritable who’s who across a career that began in 2003, and he made history in 2009 by becoming a simultaneous champion in the Strikeforce and Dream organizations.