Bellator's Gegard Mousasi after dominant win: 'I'm the best middleweight in the world'

Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi defended his belt with ease Friday night, stopping previously undefeated challenger Austin Vanderford in just 85 seconds via strikes.

After the win, Mousasi told reporters that he isn't just the best middleweight in Bellator, but he's better than any in other promotions too, including UFC champion Israel Adesanya.

“I feel like I’m the best middleweight in the world now,” Mousasi said at a press conference, via MMA Fighting's Mike Heck. “I’ve never said that because I never thought I was the best, but on this day, I’m the best. Don’t know about tomorrow, but today I was the best."

Mousasi, 36, spent more than four years in the UFC before leaving as a free agent in 2017 while on a five-fight winning streak. He was ranked in the top five of the middleweight division at the time of his departure, and current champion Adesanya hadn't yet made his UFC debut.

"I train with guys who fought Israel Adesanya; they did well against Adesanya or won and I'm better than them in the standup," Mousasi said Friday. "So of course I feel like I have a great chance and I can win, but talking about it is like talking about how I want to be Santa Claus, it's not possible, you know?"

Mousasi now has a 49-7-2 record as a pro fighter and has won 12 of his last 13 bouts.