Mousasi vs Silva? Bellator champ pushing for boxing match

Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images Two-time Bellator champion Gegard Mousasi wants a boxing match with UFC legend Anderson Silva. After leaving the UFC in 2017 as a top contender on a five-fight winning streak, Gegard Mousasi went on to become a two-time middleweight champion in Bellator. A veteran of almost 60 fights, and having one of the most decorated careers across various promotions, Mousasi is now looking to face a true UFC legend next. He called out Anderson Silva, but wants it to be a boxing match instead of mixed martial arts. “Unfortunately I’ve fought twice the last two years,” Mousasi told MMA Fighting. “I would have loved to fight more but it’s the pandemic. They’re gonna keep me busy this year. Three times, and I want to fight Anderson Silva in boxing. My managers are gonna push for that fight. You, Anderson, don’t run away from me. “Now it’s up to him. I think it’s not very interesting [to fight him in MMA]. In MMA he has lost, but in boxing he’s still winning. I think it’s different and it’s more entertaining,” Mousasi said. “I threw it out to Scott [Coker] and Showtime. ... I’ve been pushing for it.” Mousasi, a two-time Bellator middleweight champ, has won 11 of his last 12 bouts dating back to his stint with the UFC. The 36-year-old has won titles across multiple divisions and various promotions such as Strikeforce, DREAM, and Cage Warriors. He is also undefeated in kickboxing, having fought two K-1 bouts, and three more under Muay Thai rules. If the bout with Silva pushes through, it would mark a long return to boxing for Mousasi, having previously won a 2021 national title as an amateur boxer in the Netherlands. Silva, who is considered as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, has found a lot of success even well past his prime and across a different sport. The 46-year-old returned to boxing in 2021, where he outboxed former champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and then effortlessly knocked out Tito Ortiz.