3. Gegard Mousasi
Of course there would be one MMA fighter on this list, because why deviate from what has worked for you until you absolutely have to.
Mousasi carries three major components that would make this bout easy to facilitate. Firstly, he is already under the Showtime banner as part of Bellator. While company President Scott Coker has in the past held firm that he would want Paul to come over and compete in MMA if he is going to loan a Bellator fighter for a boxing match, 2021’s partnership with Showtime could change that. If the fight with Woodley did deliver on pay-per-view and Paul pushes for Mousasi, then it’s easy to imagine the powers that be at Showtime could make a deal happen without requiring Paul to compete in the cage.
Secondly, as a reigning middleweight champion and former light heavyweight, Mousasi carries exactly the kind of size and stature that makes for, at least on paper, a more competitive bout. Finally and perhaps most importantly: Mousasi’s style. “The Dreamcatcher” is a well-rounded mixed martial artist but has never been known for explosive athleticism. If Paul is looking for an opponent that is once again less likely to deliver heavy damage, Mousasi fits the bill.
If there is one drawback to Mousasi, it is that he is unlikely to get into the back-and-forth with Paul leading up to the fight. A quietly confident champion, Mousasi is affable but has rarely been known to “sell a fight” and that could lead to hesitancy on the Paul side. As much as he enjoys boxing, Paul is already wealthy and will not be stepping into the ring unless he knows it will be another situation that makes him a significant profit again.
