Gegard Mousasi interested in Bellator welterweight title — under the right conditions

This weekend, in the main event of Bellator 223, Gegard Mousasi will attempt to defend the Bellator middleweight strap opposite Rafael Lovato Jr. If he’s successful on this mission, he may then seek a second title in another Bellator division.

Previously, Mousasi has expressed interest in moving up to the light heavyweight division to battle reigning champion Ryan Bader for his belt. That being said, he’s now hinting at a potential move down to welterweight, but only if Douglas Lima captures the title from Rory MacDonald, as Mousasi has already decisively beaten MacDonald.

“Welterweight, only if Douglas Lima wins (the Grand Prix final),” Mousasi told MMA Junkie. “That’s going to be more appealing if he wins because a rematch of me vs. Rory (MacDonald) is not that interesting now.”

If Gegard Mousasi is to drop down to welterweight to battle Douglas Lima for the welterweight title, however, he expects a pay boost from Bellator. The same goes for a potential light heavyweight title fight with Ryan Bader. Against better competition, he expects more money, and if Bellator is unprepared to meet that requirement, he’s willing to stick to the middleweight division.

“Like I’ve always said, they should pay me more,” he said. “If they don’t pay more, fine, I have a contract. I’m worth more against Ryan Bader, and I’m worth more if I fight Douglas Lima for the belt. That’s the way I feel. My value goes up because the opponent is better, and more people would like to see that. I guess if they don’t want to pay, I’m fine. I’ll fight my own middleweight fights.”

Would you be interested in seeing Gegard Mousasi move down to welterweight or up to light heavyweight in pursuit of a second belt? Join the conversation in the comments!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/20/2019.