Strikeforce Results: 4 Questions We Have About Gegard Mousasi

Gegard Mousasi failed to impress tonight.  He simply didn't live up to the expectations that fans have placed on him.

That doesn't mean that fans didn't learn things from his victory over Ovince St. Preux.  Things can be learned from any fight, whether it is a win or a loss from not only the combatants, but from the fans who watched.

Being an MMA fan can be a learning experience if fans seek to think beyond the excitement they see in the cage.

However, for every bit of knowledge learned, there are more questions that pop up as well.

So even with all of the knowledge accumulated in the Mousasi fight, the truth is that fans have some more questions about him after the fight.

Here are the four questions that stand out after Gegard Mousasi's last fight.

Why He Didn't Look Strong in the Last Round?

Mousasi might have been a little lucky that the fight was only three rounds, as in the third round St. Preux seemed to have him in trouble.

If the fight had gone longer, Mousasi might have lost to his unheralded opponent and become lost in the lower levels of one of MMA's top divisions.

After the fight, Mousasi said that he was sick leading up to the fight, which hurt his conditioning.  This might be true but most fighters don't go into a fight at 100 percent.  Fans don't care much for excuses when fighters lose, so it might even be worse when fighters do it after they win.

Stil, if Mousasi was sick, it might explain why he didn't have the same energy to dominate St. Preux.  In his next fight, he will probably be matched with someone even tougher.  

If he still struggles, then he better find a new excuse; otherwise, more fans might start to doubt his abilities.

Why Didn't He Finish off St. Preux in the First Two Rounds?

Mousasi was in control of the fight for the first two rounds.  He was beating St. Preux on his feet and taking him down whenever he wanted to.  He seemed to like he was able to dominate the fight in any way he chose.

So why it went to a third round, one that Mousasi lost, is a bit of a head-scratcher.  Especially with Mousasi saying that he was sick leading up to the fight.  If he was in bad health, why didn't he try to end the fight as soon as possible?

If it had been a back-and-forth affair, it would have been understandable, but he was easily winning the fight for the first 10 minutes.  In times past, Mousasi, who has finished 28 of the 32 fights he has won, would have gone for the finish.

This time, he didn't.  If it happens again, fans will have to wonder why.

Are the Jardine and Lawal Fights Still Affecting Him?

Mousasi was on top for so long that he was thought to not only be the future of the light heavyweight division, but a future star of MMA.  He was the light heavyweight champion and many thought he would hold the title for a long time.

He lost it in his first title defense.

In 2010, Mousasi faced Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal for the light heavyweight belt and proceeded to lose by unanimous decision.  Throughout the fight, Lawal was just able to take Mousasi down at will.  It was Mousasi's first loss in four years.  

Mousasi got two easy wins after that over in DREAM, a Japan-based MMA organization and then came back to Strikeforce.

It should have been his triumphant return, but instead when he stepped in the cage across from UFC veteran Keith Jardine, he seemed hesitant.  He just lacked the firepower fans had seen him use before.

He walked away with a draw that night, though many felt he deserved the nod, but the old Mousasi wouldn't have let it go to the scorecards.

Now he won yet another decision.  It will be interesting to see if it continues in his next fight and if it is a reaction to these to previous struggles.

Has He Peaked in His MMA Career Already?

This question seems frivolous at first.

That is until fans reading it remember that Mousasi's career started back in 2003 over eight years ago. The 26-year-old may be young, but at this point he is a veteran of the sport.

He has also been in over 37 fights, and not all of them are wins.  Of course, this is also not factoring in his kickboxing matches or his time spent training and all of the sparring that that entails.  The truth is his body has been busted up a fair amount over the years.

It may have caught up with him.  It isn't something that happens often, but some fighters do burn out early.

It may have happened with Mousasi.  If he seems to lack the same energy in his next fight that he did Saturday, it just might be the case.