Morning Report: Gegard Mousasi blames 'mental issues' of Vitor Belfort on his TRT use

After dismantling Vitor Belfort at UFC 204 a few weeks ago, Gegard Mousasi has been much more vocal in the press than usual, starting with his post-fight press conference where he insisted he would thrash current middleweight champion Michael Bisping and called fans "stupid" for believing in Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. Then he went on The MMA Hour and called McGregor a "bum" and saying "that ginger-headed f*ck is retarded."

These outbursts are a stark departure from his usually stoic demeanor, but one that appears to be the new normal for Mousasi. Speaking recently with The Daily Star, Mousasi spoke about his most recent opponent's history with TRT usage,saying Belfort has "mental issues" and that the TRT use helped him to "feel more manly" for his fights.

"I think with Vitor, he has a lot of mental issues. If you take TRT, that's testosterone, you're going to be aggressive and be confident. You feel more manly and whatever you feel. I think if he hits you, then he swarms on you with punches and kicks. But I didn't give him that chance. He landed one punch in the beginning but with him I think it's a lot of mental stuff."

Belfort's name is one of the ones most closely associated with TRT use in MMA. A career resurgence in his late thirties which ultimately earned him a title shot is often attributed to the chemical enhancement Belfort was the beneficiary of. In 2014 however, shortly before Belfort's title shot against then-champion Chris Weidman, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned the therapeutic use exemption for TRT and Belfort was forced to remove it from his training. Since then, many have opined that Belfort has looked demonstrably slower and less powerful; but Mousasi says it's not just the physical decline from the lack of TRT that's causing his deterioration, but the mental one as well.

"He wasn't the typical Vitor Belfort. But like I said, TRT it's not just physical - mentally you're going to feel different. If you look at the mirror (when you're on TRT) you're going to feel better. These are factors with him. He came in to fight and he was looking for the opportunity to land that big punch or that kick to finish the fight but I think he wasn't very sure of himself."

Belfort did not look particularly good in the fight, getting stopped in the second round, and there was rampant speculation that he would retire from MMA afterwards (though he has made it clear this isn't the case). On the other hand, Mousasi looked excellent in the win and was hoping to place himself back in the mix for a middleweight title shot. With the other four top fighters in the division currently matched up against each other though, instead Mousasi had to settle for a rematch with Uriah Hall. But now that things like TRT are no longer a part of MMA and USADA is working with the UFC, Mousasi thinks it's inevitable that he will get a title shot after he avenges his loss to Hall.

"I think since USADA came, I've said it before, I've been dominating everybody. The Uriah Hall fight I was dominating before I lost. So I feel like I've been dominating everybody in my previous fights. I think I look good technically and physically and it's just a matter of time before I fight for the belt."

Gegard Mousasi rematches Uriah Hall in the main event of UFC Fight Night 99 on November 19 in Belfast, Ireland.

MUST-READ STORIES

Lol. Michael Bisping says he "verbally agreed" to fight Georges St-Pierre at UFC 206 and is waiting on answer.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Metamoris founder Ralek Gracie signs with Bellator MMA.

New guy. The UFC has settled on new match-making responsibilities with the impending retirement of Joe Silva.

WEC never die. Urijah Faber has no regrets in his MMA career despite never winning UFC gold.

Tough road. Randy Couture says Georges St-Pierre faces an "uphill climb" in his battle with the UFC.

EXTRA CREDIT

Buster. Alex Shepard discusses the UFC and their anti-union actions.

MEDIA STEW

Firas breaking down RDA vs. El Cucuy

Fitch angling for that GSP rematch that no one has ever asked for.

Conor's Vlog, Day 2.

Shoot your shot Franklin Robert Lashley.

Cook some pizza w/ Bermudez.

LISTEN UP

Eric Stinton joins to talk Bobby Lashley, Faber's legacy, UFC scale back, and BJ Penn.

TFATK

Severe MMA

TWEETS

I hope he gets it and then I hope he fights Nick Diaz and that he never fights a top middleweight.

@GeorgesStPierre, we all want more money. But let's go,sign the papers.Give the people of Toronto what they want, be a hero! Let's go champ!

— michael (@bisping) October 26, 2016

Guess that means it's happening.

Text from @danawhite: There is no Bisping vs. GSP fight in Toronto. I know Mike wants it, but it's not happening.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 26, 2016

...is riding a bike not a cardio workout? Did I miss something?

improving Cardio Wtf !! haha Are we doing the Tour de France or We fist fighting ? #itsallOver #guysridingbikes No "History just "My"story

— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) October 21, 2016

Get used to it. This is the new normal.

Bisping asking to fight GSP,Mousasi asking to fight Nick Diaz. *Sigh* this trend is getting old. Fight someone relevant to your weight class

— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) October 26, 2016

USADA tested Urijah Faber in bed this morning. pic.twitter.com/fORImdUqxX

— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) October 25, 2016

To all my fans, see you in Belfast. @ufc @UFCONFOX @UFCEurope pic.twitter.com/vPIgsdm1vR

— Gegard Mousasi (@mousasi_mma) October 25, 2016

Cool throwback.

No slogans! Mister Pride @wandfc and @shogunoficial in one of the old school training. Sem legenda! @wandfc e @shogunoficial em um dia normal de treino no passado. #oldschool #kingsmma #valetudo #pisao #stomp

A photo posted by Rafael Cordeiro (@kings_mma) on Oct 24, 2016 at 4:54pm PDT

Gunni on the withdrawal.

I want begin with saying im very sorry to all my fans, sponsors, friends and StunGun that im pulling out of this fight in Belfast. I was so much looking forward to fighting again in Ireland and now its not happening because of a stupid ankle twist that ironacly happend in a UFC open work out!! It happend at 1:08min into the video that was live on facebook for those who want to see it, its still up i think. Right away i wasnt sure how serious it was so i kept face and rolled a little on but told my training partner Kenny Baker about it during and he knew all about it he said because he felt the massive click when it happend. I was forced to stop within minutes because i relised it was bad. For a few days i was not able to put any weight on the leg and thought i had to pull out and felt devastated but then within 10 days i got to a state where i could walk normaly without much pain so i thought again that i was gonna fight and felt great. For a few weeks i was doing everything that i could to get better so i would be able to return to proper training again but that next step of being able to bounce, move in and out and grapple just would not happend. I kept doing everything i could wich was mostly rowing, swimming and bits here and there thinking i would get there. A week ago my trainers told me and i was starting to relise that this was gonna take more time and i could not go into this fight with one ankle and not realy any martial art training at all :( Again i am so sorry for this but to all who already booked their tickets and travels and all the fans that were looking forward to this fight like I was. I will be back soon better then ever. Thank you all for all the support and I'm sorry for any inconvenience. Photo: @michaelquiet

A photo posted by Gunnar Nelson (@gunninelson) on Oct 25, 2016 at 7:30am PDT

Tim Kennedy is not a small man.

Drill, drill, drill.... You want to get better? You better drill.

A photo posted by Tim Kennedy (@timkennedymma) on Oct 25, 2016 at 5:15pm PDT

Werdum ain't feeling Reebok apparently.

Não sou genérico, sou @nike desde criancinha! #chupa #mishuevos #reebok

A photo posted by Fabricio Werdum (@werdum) on Oct 25, 2016 at 10:43am PDT

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Vicente Luque (10-5-1) vs. Belal Muhammad (10-1-0); UFC 205, November 12.

Bibiano Fernandes (19-3-0) vs. Reece McLaren (9-3-0); One Championship, December 2.

Rob Font (12-2-0) vs. Alejandro Perez (17-6-0); UFC TUF 24 Finale, December 3.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Check out my podcast up top. Me and Eric Stinton talked for a long time about a lot of things, most of it foolish, and I layed out the bones of the argument for why BJ Penn is the GOAT. I enjoyed it and would love feedback from y'all.

And that's it for today everyone. Be easy and see you tomorrow.

If you find something you'd like to see in the Morning Report, just hit me up on Twitter @JedKMeshew and let me know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and add us on Snapchat at MMA-Fighting because we post dope things and you should enjoy them.