It’s good to know that despite a losing effort, a gutsy performance is noticed by your boss. Ilir Latifi made that gutsy effort last week when he took a fight with Gegard Mousasi, a guy who everyone has believed for years to be a top contender. latifi cut the weight on short notice, proceeded through the muddy waters of marketing the fight while weight-cutting and then plodded forward against Gegard and his brutal jabs even as his face was covered in his own blood.
In short: Latifi earned another shot inside the Octagon. This is what Dana White said:
“Latifi comes in on four days notice, cuts the weight and takes on Gegard Mousasi, who is 33-3, while he is just 8-2,” “But, he stays in there for three rounds against him … again, much respect to the guys in the main event.”
Dana was asked then if Latifi would have another fight in the Octagon, and White replied “Absolutely.”
It’s a cool situation for a guy who put it all out on the line for his shot. We hope Latifi can get a full camp in next time so we can see his full display of skills. It’s gotta suck to compete after dropping all that weight on short notice. Gere’s to Latifi getting a OSP fight, or maybe a Jimi Manuwa match? Man, this guy must have problems against anyone with a long jab, or I’d suggest Brandon Vera…
