Alexander Gustafsson: 5 Defining Moments
Ultimate Fighting Championship gold has thus far eluded Alexander Gustafsson but not for lack of effort. Twice he has tried and failed to procure the light heavyweight crown.
The well-regarded Swede can climb back into title contention when he meets Glover Teixeira in the UFC Fight Night 109 main event this Sunday at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. Gustafsson snapped a two-fight losing streak in his most recent appearance, as he cruised to a three-round unanimous decision over former KSW champion Jan Blachowicz on Sept. 3. “The Mauler” has compiled a 9-4 record inside the Octagon, including wins against Cyrille Diabate, James Te Huna, Thiago Silva, Matt Hamill and former International Fight League titleholder Vladimir Matyushenko. Gustafsson splits his training between the Allstars Training Center in Sweden and Alliance MMA in California, where he sharpens his skills alongside two-time UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and reigning One Championship heavyweight titlist Brandon Vera.
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1. Star on the Rise
Baby-faced and unproven, Gustafsson on Nov. 14, 2009 made his promotional debut as an undefeated 22-year-old prospect on the UFC 105 undercard at the Evening News Arena in Manchester, England. He did not disappoint. Jared Hamman entered the cage with an 11-1 record and tested the Swede’s resolve with suffocating aggression, uncorking wild overhand rights and left hooks. Gustafsson remained calm, withstood the American’s advances and picked his spots. An inadvertent eye poke led to a brief pause before “The Mauler” decked Hamman with a crushing straight left. Gustafsson then knocked the EliteXC veteran unconscious with standing-to-ground punches and hammerfists before referee Kevin Mulhall could arrive on the scene. His star was on the rise.
2. Not So Wonderful
A showdown with four-time NCAA All-American and future Alliance MMA stablemate Phil Davis awaited Gustafsson at UFC 112 on April 10, 2010 in the United Arab Emirates. The encounter with “Mr. Wonderful” did not go according to plan, as Gustafsson submitted to an anaconda choke 4:55 into the first round and fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. Davis engaged the Swede in the clinch, scrambled into top position after a few failed takedown attempts and applied his ground-and-pound with heavy punches and slashing elbows. Gustafsson escaped to his feet, only to be taken down with a little more than a minute remaining in Round 1. After eating some elbows, he went to all fours and unwittingly gave Davis the opening he needed. The choke was soon in place, as the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native tightened his squeeze, cut off the blood flow and forced the tap. Referee Dan Miragliotta rescued Gustafsson with five seconds left on the clock.
3. The Breakthrough
Gustafsson on Dec. 8, 2012 staked his claim as the No. 1 contender at 205 pounds, as he struck and wrestled his way to a unanimous decision over former champion Mauricio Rua in the UFC on Fox 5 main event at KeyArena in Seattle. “The Mauler” swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 marks from the judges. Known more for his standup, the Swede delivered takedowns in all three rounds and kept Rua guessing throughout their 15-minute battle. Gustafsson was effective on the feet, as well, scoring with straight punches, uppercuts and knees in close quarters. Rua’s one legitimate shot at victory came and went in the first round, when he caught the Alliance MMA rep in a heel hook but failed to finish it. “Shogun” faded down the stretch. Gustafsson punctuated the most significant win of his career in Round 3, where he short-circuited the notoriously durable Brazilian with a wicked liver kick. He closed with a flourish, mixing in a front kick to the face, a jumping knee to the head and one last takedown for good measure.
4. Close Call
Jon Jones had to dig deep, as he retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown with a unanimous decision over Gustafsson in the UFC 165 headliner on Sept. 21, 2013 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. In what was later tapped as the “Fight of the Year,” all three judges scored it for Jones: 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. Gustafsson gave the champion all he could handle. He cut Jones over the right eye in the first round with a glancing blow, and the cut grew into a gash over time, the Swede scoring with repeated multi-punch combinations to the head and body. After 25 minutes, Jones was bloodied and swollen, but he had answered the first serious challenge of his career. Gustafsson became the first man to take down Jones in the first round. More importantly, he stuffed 10 of the champion’s 11 takedown attempts. Trapped on the feet, Jones absorbed more punishment than he had in any of his 19 previous professional bouts. He sprang to life in Round 4, however, where he badly stunned Gustafsson with one of his patented spinning elbows. In the fifth, with both men clearly exhausted, Jones scored with his only takedown and unleashed a series of head kicks that likely secured the victory. The loss halted Gustafsson’s six-fight winning streak but earned him an untold amount of respect in the industry. Few gave the Alliance MMA representative a legitimate chance at dethroning Jones ahead of their unforgettable 25-minute battle.
5. London Broil
Gustafsson left his tire marks on Jimi Manuwa in their UFC Fight Night headliner on March 8, 2014 at the O2 Arena in London, as he buried the previously unbeaten Englishman with a savage knee strike and follow-up punches 1:18 into the second round. Manuwa’s aggression was met with a finely tuned and executed game plan, as Gustafsson switched gears with a takedown in the first round. Some intermittent ground-and-pound followed, and though the damage exacted was minimal at best, doubt undoubtedly crept into the underdog’s mind. Gustafsson capitalized in Round 2, where he short-circuited Manuwa with a devastating knee from the collar-tie, backed it up with a pair of right uppercuts and then sealed the heavy-handed Brit’s fate with hammerfists on the ground.
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