Video: Watch UFC 204 co-headliner Gegard Mousasi take out Mark Munoz in 2014

Over the first 38 fights of his MMA career, with bouts in PRIDE, DREAM and Strikeforce, Gegard Mousasi had but three losses.

But when he came to the UFC in 2013, things got a little bit tougher. Just seven fights into his UFC tenure, Mousasi had as many losses as he did in the 38 fights before he arrived. Now, those losses have come to some serious competition, including former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and fellow ex-Strikeforce champ Ronaldo Souza. But they’ve been losses, nonetheless, and they’ve kept Mousasi from getting to the next level in the UFC.

On Saturday, Mousasi (39-6-2 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will try to put together his first three-fight winning streak in the promotion when he meets former light heavyweight champ Vitor Belfort (25-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in the UFC 204 co-main event. The fight takes place at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Mousasi on Wednesday said he doesn’t believe a win over Belfort holds the same caché that it once did and isn’t sure just how much he’ll rise in the rankings with a win. He doesn’t think it gets him that much closer to a middleweight title shot. (See the video below.)

But it still would be a nice skin on his resume in the UFC, which includes wins over Ilir Latifi, Costas Philippou, Thales Leites, Thiago Santos and Saturday’s middleweight title challenger, Dan Henderson. It also includes a bonus-winning submission of Mark Munoz in the UFC Fight Night 41 main event in Berlin in 2014 – his third of four straight UFC headliners to open his career in the promotion.

Above, check out that impressive win over the former WEC champion. Then don’t miss his fight with Belfort on Saturday at UFC 204 to see if he can get over the UFC hump for his third straight victory.

And for more on UFC 204, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.