Mousasi responds to McGregor's threat: 'What the f--- is he going to do?'

Gegard Mousasi's recent change of demeanor netted him an unlikely enemy.

Mousasi took his newfound beef with Conor McGregor to new heights in a Monday appearance on "The MMA Hour." Shortly after beating Vitor Belfort at UFC 204, Mousasi revealed his never-before-seen mic skills at the post-fight presser, where he criticized McGregor for shamelessly flaunting his riches on Instagram. The Dutchman later told FloCombat that his comments prompted the Irishman to threaten him with a knife.

"That ginger-headed f--- is retarded," Mousasi said, according to MMAFighting's Shaun Al-Shatti. "In the interview I mentioned, they were talking about respect or whatever, and then he texted me on Twitter. He messaged me, and I said, 'What're you going to do with your 50kg?' And then he was, I don't know, he was philosophical or whatever the f--- he was writing, he was like, 'A knife is lighter than a pound, it can cut from ear to ear,' whatever the f--- he was writing."

Mousasi is convinced the message came from McGregor himself and not some Twitter poseur, as has been posited. The UFC middleweight - who fights two weight classes above McGregor's newly adopted lightweight division - said "The Notorious" would not have approached him with the same gall in person.

"That guy is a bum. He's a 50-kg guy, what the f--- is he going to do? I bet if he's face to face, he's not going to say that. But you know, Twitter gives some people courage."

McGregor has not commented on the matter, but given the size differential between the two, it's unlikely he and Mousasi will ever settle their alleged differences in the Octagon.