Bellator 185 headliner Alexander Shlemenko: Win over Gegard Mousasi already makes me champ

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It’s no secret former champ Alexander Shlemenko would like to fast-track his way back to the Bellator middleweight belt. But on Friday, he thinks he might be able to call himself the paper champion, even if he doesn’t have the hardware yet.

Shlemenko lost Bellator’s middleweight title three years ago when he was submitted by Brandon Halsey in just 35 seconds in a fairly shocking upset at Bellator 126. He’s worked his way back into the mix since then, and in June avenged that loss by knocking Halsey out in just 25 seconds in Russia in an M-1 Challenge fight.

But Friday, Shlemenko (56-9 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) will take a critical step toward getting back to contention when he meets former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (42-6-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who is making his promotional debut at Bellator 185 after a 12-fight run in the UFC. Bellator 185 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

“As soon as I heard the rumor that Gegard had been signed by Bellator, I knew that I was going to fight him,” Shlemenko on Wednesday told MMAjunkie through his translator. “A long time ago, back in 2007, when both of us were fighting at a Bodog Fight event in Canada, even back then I thought someday we might fight against each other. I followed his career for a quite a while.

“He’s very well-rounded, but even Gegard himself acknowledged he’s never faced anyone like me before, and I think he’s going to have some issues with me like with my spinning back moves. He’s the best opponent I’ve ever had, and I’m happy about this opportunity.”

Middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho (14-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), will put the title on the line in December in hostile territory against Italy’s Alessio Sakara (19-11 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in the Bellator 190 main event in Florence.

And while nothing ever is too set in stone in MMA, the Shlemenko-Mousasi winner clearly would be at the top of the heap to fight the winner of that bout.

But Shlemenko thinks it may be easier than that. Even without needing to fight the Carvalho-Sakara winner, he thinks a win over Mousasi just makes him the champ, even if he won’t get a belt around his waist Friday night.

“I think if I beat an opponent the level of Gegard, I think I’ll be able to consider myself the champion already,” Shlemenko said. “I’ll knock him out in the first round.”

Check out the video above for more from Shlemenko ahead of his main event against Mousasi. And don’t miss the video below to hear from Mousasi before the fight.

And for more on Bellator 185, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.