Saitama Super Arena is MMA's answer to Lambeau Field. It's more than famous. It's more than historic. It's venerable.
No one has to tell Gegard Mousasi this. He's gone to battle six times in the legendary Japanese venue, before tens of thousands of fans, each one tomb-silent as the action unfolds, swelling with noise as it crescendos.
As the 30-year-old Mousasi (37-5-2) gets ready to fight there again, facing Uriah Hall in the co-main event of Sunday's UFC Fight Night 75, he's walking a fine line. He's not past his prime yet, but he's far beyond the prospect stage. In the eyes of some, the talented and popular Dutch middleweight was supposed to be challenging for the title by now. Instead, he continues to spin his wheels, seemingly fighting and winning (or losing) the same fights over and over again.
In other words, Mousasi needs to get over the hump. He could use a little Saitama magic.
"They always enjoy fighting in Japan," Mousasi said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. "It's more like a show. There's an opening ceremony. I have good memories...My career took off there."
Who could forget? In 2009, fans watched him knocked out Gary Goodridge there in a heavyweight bout. A year earlier, he needed only three minutes to submit Denis Kang.
But Mousasi's biggest Saitama win came later in 2008, when he knocked out Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza with an upkick to become the first middleweight champion of the DREAM promotion.
Seven years, 17 fights and one circuitous route to the UFC later, it's a loss to Jacare that may better define Mousasi's career to date.
It's been more than a year since Mousasi lost his rematch with Souza. In a UFC cable main event to determine the newest middleweight contender, Mousasi came out flat, wilting under Jacare's takedowns and top control until he tapped to a third-round guillotine choke. It was his first submission loss in eight years.
"The worst fight of my career was Jacare," Mousasi said. "I performed the worst. That's not going to happen again. He was great. He didn't let me back in the fight. But I did do things wrong."
Mousasi blames himself not only for the bad performance, but bad preparation. He has been open about experiencing burnout and "mental blocks" related to training and competing. He says he is countering those effects by taking more time off between fights and taking it easier in the gym.
"I don't train two times a day every day like I used to," he said. "I train better. I keep my camps shorter...With Jacare I was really burned out."
A fresher Mousasi has emerged in his last two fights, wins that brought his UFC record to 4-2. But frankly, neither a decrepit Dan Henderson nor an on-the-cusp-of-retirement Costas Philippou—or, for that matter, a Uriah Hall—is the kind of litmus test that will help Mousasi shed the label of a talented and likable fighter who can't get beat the best guys on the biggest stages.
"He's a tough opponent," Mousasi said of Hall. "He has good days and bad days. I expect the best fight from him this time, because he'll come in motivated."
Mousasi isn't necessarily looking past Hall, but he knows full well that Hall isn't the proving ground. Maybe that's why he is quick to point out potential next opponents: Michael Bisping, perhaps. Maybe Anderson Silva, when he comes back from his performance-enhancing drug suspension. Or how about everybody's favorite alleged PED-ster, Vitor Belfort? They're all on Mousasi's list.
"I just want a fight that's going to get me to the next level," he said.
Speaking of PEDs, Mousasi seems to think the UFC's newly beefy drug-testing protocols may work in his favor. Mousasi is one of the few fighters who has not only never failed a drug test, but has also never faced widespread suspicion of using. Could that be the key to getting him over the hump?
"Drug testing is going to help me a lot," Mousasi said. "I'm not going to mention any names, but you can see the bodies change. For me, I know this is going to be a big thing."
He could use a big thing or two. A big win over Hall would be a start, which may be why Mousasi said he "needs to finish" on Sunday. It would also be helpful to get a karmic boost from Saitama Super Arena, the combat cathedral that has seen so many epic fights, including maybe the biggest of Gegard Mousasi's career. That career's nowhere near over yet, but the clock is ticking. Whatever gets him over the hump is what he needs. Sunday night could provide a solid head of steam.
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