If one was to refer to Gegard Mousasi as ‘jack of all trades,’ they wouldn’t be far off. Mousasi has an accomplished and ever-evolving career in mixed martial arts and recently nabbed a victory over a top-ranked kickboxer in Kyotaro at a K-1 rules fight in Japan.
And it appears that Mousasi is looking to compete at the highest level of yet another martial arts discipline. Sources close to the fighter have informed MMAFA.tv that Mousasi has started the qualification process to compete in boxing at the Olympics in 2012 in London. Mousasi is training in Holland and plans to represent the country at the events, should he qualify.
Apy Echteld, Mousasi’s manager, says that his success in the sport of boxing could only help his career in mixed martial arts.
“[Gegard] is getting better each and every time, so let’s see what this brings. All of us are very excited about the idea. He’s done well with every other thing he has taken up so far. If he does well with this, it could have a huge impact on his mixed martial arts career. This is a wish of his.”
Mousasi’s quest for national glory should not be a cause for concern among mixed martial arts fans; the former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion is targeted for a fight against American Kickboxing Academy product Mike Kyle in April, 2011. A venue for the event has not been set and there is recent speculation that it could take place in Japan as an installment of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament. Mike Kyle is currently rehabilitating a broken hand sustained in a bout against heavyweight Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva in December, 2010. Although Kyle looked impressive and dropped the 265-pound Brazilian in the first round, he went on to lose the fight via TKO in the second round.