Let’s get right to it, does 7x Judo Olympic Medalist Hiroshi Izumi have what it takes to steal Gegard Mousasi’s Light Heavyweight Champion belt? Well the odds makers over at BetDSI Sportsbook don’t seem to think so as they have the following DREAM MMA Betting Odds on this match:
Hiroshi Izumi PK+600
Gegard Mousasi PK-1100
Gegard is a huge favorite coming into this match and for good reason. He has held titles in three MMA promotions, including Strikeforce, and has a 30-3-2 record. That’s all well and good, but what’s really notable about Mousasi is that he has finished 28 of his 30 professional wins by knockout or submission. I can’t think of any other fighter who can boast a 93% finishing rate after so many fights.
Hiroshi Izumi has a 4-1 record, has only fought in Japan and has never contested for a title until now. He is on a 4 win streak but 2 of his wins were over opponents who have more losses than wins. He only has 2 KO’s under his belt and hasn’t fought any big names well known internationally. So why is he getting a title shot? Because he has won 7 Olympic Medals, that’s why, plain and simple. People are going to be drawn in to see this fight and DREAM 17 will get more press because he’s on the card. This is obvious as there are other fighters on the card who have much better records than Izumi.
The Olympian has 4 Gold, 2 Bronze and 1 Silver medal in Judo…but how much is that going to help him against Gegard who is an experienced MMA fighter who has a Black Belt in Judo? Do you think Mousasi is going to come in and just want to grapple to find who’s the better Judoka? Nope. Mousasi will most likely attack at a distance seeing how Judo is a Martial Art form centered around close contact attacks such as throws, take downs and submissions. Even if Mousasi ends up on the floor in guard position I feel that his overall MMA experience will give him the advantage whichever way the fight goes. Mousasi has been fighting since 2003 while Izumi has only been fighting since 2009.
DREAM 17 Pick: Take Mousasi to win by KO within the first 2 rounds.
