An Iranian refugee to a prolific Dutch MMA fighter Gegard Mousasi is always on fans’ curiosity. They wonder what religion does the former two-time Bellator Middleweight World Champion follow.
Regarding his faith, there are claims that he is muslim while some say he is Christian.
Currently, Gegard competes in the Bellator MMA, having fought in promotions like Dream, Strikeforce & UFC.
He started training in judo at age eight and boxing at age fifteen. In 2001, he earned the Netherlands Amateur Boxing Championship. He then joined kickboxing and later practiced mixed martial arts.
He took up kickboxing in 2008 and competed at the Dynamite!! 2008 and Dynamite!! 2010. He has participated in 8 kickboxing matches and won all of them.
Moreover, he has competed in several MMA competitions and won. Gegard is the former champion of DREAM Light Heavyweight and DREAM Middleweight. Similarly, he is the winner of Cage Warriors World Middleweight and Strikeforce Light Heavyweight.
He is currently ranked #9 middleweight MMA fighter in the world by Fight Matrix.
Gegard Mousasi Religion: Muslim Or Christian?
Regarding Gegard Mousasi’s religion, he follows Christianity. He is a member of the Armenian Apostolic Christian.
Since he was born in the Iran, most people assume Gegard is a Muslim. But that is not the case here as he follows the Christian faith.
In March 2013, he tweeted a reply to one of his followers stating he is a Christian, always been Christian.
Likewise, in December 2017, he posted an Instagram picture of himself wearing a Christmas hat, wishing people Merry Christmas.
Moreover, almost 97% of the people of Armenia follow Christianity and so does Gegard. He is a god-loving Christian and shows immense respect towards his religion.
Furthermore, Mousasi belongs to the Armenian ethnicity. He was born in Iran to Armenian parents.
We can say that he belongs to the Iranian- Armenian ethnicity. Just like his parents, he is full of Armenian heritage. In addition, his nationality is Dutch. His family fled from Iran to the Netherlands during the Iran-Iraq war.
Gegard Mousasi Parents
Gegard Mousasi was born on 1 August 1985 in Tehran, Iran, to ethnic- Armenian parents. The martial artist has not revealed his parent’s name.
His brother’s name is Gewik he is older than him. Gewik is a prolific MMA trainer in Holland and handles the financing of Gegard’s career payments.
Moreover, Gewik was the one who inspired Gegard to join MMA. Gewik practiced mixed martial arts before him later Gegard followed his older brother’s footsteps.
Since his parents are from Armenia, he has relatives in Armenia and Iran. Previously, his family name was Movsesian and later changed to Mousasi.
Currently, they reside in the Netherlands after they fled from Iran. They spent a year in a refugee camp and later moved to Leiden in the Netherlands.
However, he prefers to keep his family details away from the limelight. So, there is less information regarding his family background.
Injury & Withdraw From Bouts
The professional MMA fighter Mousasi suffered from few injuries throughout his career.
During a training camp, he suffered from a knee injury. Despite the injury, he competed in an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and won. After the match, he underwent surgery.
Moreover, Gegard was praised for his determination for participating in the fight despite the injury.
In addition, he was interested in competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in the boxing category. But could not participate due to the injury.
Similarly, as per sources, he had to undergo second knee surgery. Gegard believes that the re-injury was due to early training without proper rest.