Gegard Mousasi released from PFL-Bellator after threatening legal action

Gegard Mousasi is no longer employed by PFL and Bellator.

On Thursday, PFL and Bellator officials announced that Mousasi had been released from his contract after threatening legal action over his grievances with the company.

“Bellator has released Gegard Mousasi from his agreement. We wish him all the best in his next fighting chapter,” Mike Kogan, head of fighter operations, said a statement released by the organization.

Following a long Bellator run where he served as a two-time middleweight champion, Mousasi recently complained that he had effectively been sidelined after Bellator sold to PFL at the end of 2023.

Mousasi initially claimed that PFL officials told him that he made “too much money” based on his previous contract, which was signed under the former regime at Bellator when it was owned by Paramount. He also stated that the promotion had gone radio silent on him in recent weeks as he attempted to reach some sort of resolution.

On Wednesday, during an appearance on The MMA Hour, Mousasi escalated his complaints by potentially threatening legal action over his issues with the contract and the fact that the company still hadn’t booked him for a fight since the sale was finalized this past December.

“At this moment, I’m like, listen, if someone doesn’t want me, I’m like, ‘F*** it. Let’s go.’ But my team around me is like, ‘F*** it, we’ll sue them,’” Mousasi said. “If it was up to me, I would just go, but I don’t know. We’ll see. The team around me is not that happy. So I think there is going to be legal action against them.

“Yeah, [I feel disrespected] because they don’t even want to pick up the phone and talk to us,” Mousasi continued. “It’s not even funny anymore. It’s the worst organization so far. I’ve fought in a lot of organizations, this is the worst one.”

Just a day after his latest comments, Mousasi was released from his contract.

In response to the release, Mousasi’s management team issued a statement to MMA Fighting.

“We will not comment on the merits of the alleged release at this time for obvious reasons,” Nima Safapour, founder of Moments Sports Consultancy, said in the statement. “However, we believe there is a greater lesson here that our community should pay close attention to. For an organization that repeatedly claims to be ‘fighter first,’ we now truly see how PFL treats their fighters, especially their legends.”

At age 38, Mousasi now becomes a free agent and still seeks to compete after serving as a top UFC contender for several years before leaving to join Bellator in 2017. Once there, he became a two-time middleweight champion until losing the belt to current titleholder Johnny Eblen in 2022.

Most recently, Mousasi suffered a decision loss to Fabian Edwards in May 2023 in what now serves as his final appearance under the Bellator banner.