The latest chapter in the Gegard Mousasi saga has started to unfold, and it involves a $15 million lawsuit.

In a 65-page civil suit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Mousasi alleges breach of contract, among other claims, by Bellator after it was purchased by the PFL, and the PFL and “new Bellator” in general. Among the named defendants are PFL executives Peter Murray, Donn Davis, Ray Sefo, Mike Koran, Jim Bramson and George Pineda.

Mousasi is seeking a minimum of $15 million in damages (H/T MMA journalist John Nash). The 39-year-old Dutch former Bellator champion most recently fought in May 2023, and his struggles to get a fight after the PFL purchase Bellator, and therefore Mousasi’s contract, became widely discussed when they went public earlier this year.

Gegard Mousasi has filed a complaint against Bellator Sport Worldwide, LLC, New Bellator, LLC (a subsidiary of PFL),+ individuals alleging breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, a claim for relief for Monopsonization. pic.twitter.com/l8TbfAUqyB

— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) October 17, 2024

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Exhibits in the lawsuit include copies of emails going back to January from Mousasi’s manager, Nima Sapafour, attempting to get clarification on what PFL’s intentions were with his client. After Mousasi went public with his frustrations with the company and threatened a lawsuit, the promotion annouced his release in April.

The suit gives insight into Mousasi’s contract with Bellator. Ahead of the sale to the PFL, Mousasi had a deal that was to pay him a flat $200,000 for his fight and a $50,000 bonus if he won with a finish – but also a guaranteed $600,000 “promotional fee” for each fight.

In communications between PFL/Bellator officials and Sapafour, Mousasi’s cost is brought up as an issue, despite his contractual status. And because Mousasi was unable to fight elsewhere, again contractually, the suit brings additional allegations.

The claims by Mousasi, including to court documents, are for “breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, a claim for relief for Monopsonization under Section 2 of the Sherman Act … and misclassification-related labor and employment claims.”

The suit is asking for no less than $15 million in “compensatory, consequential and/or equitable monetary damages” and requested a trial by jury.

Mousasi (49-9-2) in May called the promotion “the worst organization” and threatened legal action “in an interview. His release was announced soon after.

In May 2023, Mousasi lost to Fabian Edwards. It was his second straight setback. Mousasi fought in the UFC from April 2013 to April 2017 with a 9-3 record with the promotion, then went to Bellator as a free agent. He went 7-3 under the Bellator banner with two reigns as middleweight champion.

Paul Hughes was ready for this.

Despite only a single fight since joining the PFL in free agency, the 27-year-old Irish prospect didn’t blink when he got the call to face former Bellator champion A.J. McKee in the opening bout on the upcoming pay-per-view card on Saturday from Saudi Arabia. Of course jumping in the deep end against a vastly experienced opponent might seem like too much, too soon, especially considering McKee has more career finishes (14) than Hughes has total fights (13).

But Hughes says getting the chance to face competition like McKee now rather than later is exactly why he signed with the PFL in the first place.

“This is exactly what I called for whenever I came into the PFL,” Hughes told MMA Fighting. “I said I want the most entertaining fights, the hardest fights and I want to put on shows for the fans. That’s exactly what’s going on here. I think I did a pretty good job in my debut. It was a pretty good scrap. Fans were happy enough and this one is just another step up.

“Now I’m kind of in that position where I’ve got the opportunity to fight one of the best in the world and prove what I have been saying for the last year — I’m one of the best fighters on the planet.”

Hughes doesn’t doubt that he’ll set foot in the cage as a sizable underdog and he understands that narrative given McKee’s history as one of the top fighters in Bellator for the past few years.

McKee has only tasted defeat once in his career and that was a close decision against Patricio Pitbull — an opponent he vanquished in less than two minutes during their first encounter. Since moving to lightweight, McKee is undefeated with a perfect 4-0 record including a lightning quick submission win over perennial PFL contender Clay Collard back in February.

“You put our records up against each other, you look at the experience AJ has against some of the best in the world for many, many years, on paper, I’m a huge, huge underdog coming into this fight,” Hughes acknowledged. “But look there’s a reason for the last 12 months I’ve been saying I’m one of the best in the world right now. I’ve mixed it up with some of the best guys in the world in training. I know my skill level. I know my capabilities. I know I’m a born competitor. You put me in there against anybody, I will win. I rise to the occasion.

“The proof that I have throughout my career, the higher pressure the fight, the bigger the occasion, the better that I perform. That’s just not me saying that’s what’s going to happen. I have proof of that happening. I’ve been there and done it. I’ve fought five round world title fights. I’ve performed every single time. Now it’s just the next step up. It’s a bigger stage but for me that means a better performance on my behalf.”

Getting McKee in just his second fight with PFL also further justified Hughes’ decision to pass on an offer from the UFC when he hit free agency earlier this year.

He laid out a multitude of reasons why he chose the PFL but money and opportunity sit at the top of that list and both are paying off with this fight.

“I knew deep down when I made the decision it was the right call,” Hughes explained. “I knew it was going to pay off for me. I didn’t quite expect it to pay off so quickly, in terms of how big the fights are, how big the events are but also how life changing the money is. I’m getting a bonus on top of my usual contract for this fight. Yes, I deserve it, I’m fighting one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet on a huge card. But my life has completely changed in the last six months. It’s incredible.

“It would take many, many years [in the UFC] to be able to get to the position that I am monetarily with the PFL. I knew it was going to be the right decision. It’s just paid off how I thought it would.”

Following his debut win in PFL in June, Hughes actually planned on calling out Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, but the undefeated Russian already had a fight booked at that point.

There’s nothing stopping Hughes from asking for that fight if he gets through McKee on Saturday, which is another reason why he was so excited to get this offer.

“This is exactly how I envisioned it,” Hughes said. “It’s actually playing out. Sometimes you aim for the stars and you end up on the moon. This one, I’ve ended up in the stars. Exactly what I asked for has happened. When I signed with the PFL, my expectations have been exceeded and it’s an unbelievable time.”

LAS VEGAS – Rob Font expects an action-packed fight with Kyler Phillips.

Font (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) takes on Phillips (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245 (ESPN+) co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Kyler, he brings it,” Font told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC Fight Night 245 pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “He’s nonstop action. These type of guys, there’s more opportunities to counter, more opportunities to get finishes, and they’re not necessarily a boring fight at all.”

Font is no stranger to facing a surging bantamweight contender, and thinks Phillips style matches up perfectly with his.

“I think this is a great matchup. I think this is a Fight of the Night for sure,” Font said. “Like I said, he brings it. He starts off fast. I believe I start off fast, as well. He has a wild kicking style. He’ll pull guard and try to jump on submissions.

“He seems like a lifelong martial artist, like one of those kids that have been in the gym since he was like 3 – karate background, jiu-jitsu background, and he’s fighting tough guys. He just beat Pedro Munhoz so, this is another tough fight.”

Font will look to snap a two-fight losing skid after losses to Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. The last time he lost back-to-back fights, he was able to upset Adrian Yanez with a TKO finish, and he looks to play spoiler once again vs. Phillips.

“This feels similar to when I fought Adrian Yanez,” Font said. “Unfortunately I lost two in a row, then I fought him, got a big win and then lost another two in a row. Now I’m back with another unranked fighter that’s super dangerous, so it has that feeling. It just gets me up and ready to go. I know with a big win, a big finish, the headlines will be different.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – As far as Donn Davis is concerned, talk about the world’s top heavyweight should be focused on Saudi Arabia on Saturday, not New York in November.

Put simpler, the promotion’s co-owner thinks the PFL will have the best heavyweight in MMA after Saturday, not the UFC. And further, Davis implied that disputing that claim would take a cross-promotion of some kind with the UFC – an idea CEO Dana White essentially never has been keen to.

At PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN/ESPN+) at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (17-3) takes on Renan Ferreira (13-3) in a PFL heavyweight superfight title bout. Ngannou has boxed twice since he left the UFC, but hasn’t fought an MMA bout since January 2021 before he left the UFC for the PFL after a contract dispute.

At UFC 309, which takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden, Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is a massive favorite upwards of 7-1 against former champ Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC). Jones won the UFC heavyweight title after Ngannou vacated it.

And naturally, depending on which side is asked, the other side is ducking – either Jones or Ngannou.

“Our focus is on this Saturday,” Davis said after a Thursday news conference in Saudi Arabia for the pay-per-view. “This is the biggest fight in MMA in heavyweight this year. Francis, when he left the UFC, he was the pound-for-pound No. 1 and the heavyweight champion. And then Ferreira is the biggest rising star … This is the fight everybody wants to see. Whoever comes out of this fight is the No. 1 in the world. Whoever wants to claim the No. 1 spot goes through the winner of this fight, not through the UFC – this fight. Whoever wants to claim that position better be calling us after Saturday, not calling them.”

Jones has suggested his fight with Miocic might be his swan song. Ngannou is in his late 30s, as well. Absent cross-promotion, and reasonably soon, it seems like a Jones-Ngannou fight is a longshot at best.

But Davis implied it could happen if White wanted it to.

“We’ve said at the PFL we want to give the fans what they want, and that’s the best fights in the world,” Davis said. “Francis Ngannou? He said he’ll take on all comers. I think Jon Jones wants to cement his legacy. There’s only one obstacle to that fight, and we know who that is.”

After the UFC 309 heavyweight title fight between Jones and Miocic, the UFC has interim champ Tom Aspinall waiting in the wings, as well.

For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hubs for PFL: Battle of the Giants and UFC 309.