Alexander Gustafsson News

Former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson set to return against Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 282 in December
Josh Evanoff - October 11, 2022
Former light-heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson has been added to UFC 282. ‘The Mauler’ has been out of action since his fight with Nikita Krylov in July. The matchup was Gustafsson’s return to 205-pounds, as he previously had a one-off heavyweight fight with Fabricio Werdum. In that outing, the Brazilian won by first-round submission.

Jimi Manuwa disagrees with Daniel Cormier, other fighters telling Alexander Gustafsson to retire after UFC London: "I don't think other fighters or fans should be telling fighters to retire"
Cole Shelton - July 25, 2022
Jimi Manuwa doesn’t think anyone should be telling Alexander Gustafsson to retire following UFC London. Gustafsson made his return to the sport and the light heavyweight division on the main card of UFC London as he took on Nikita Krylov. The Swede was on a three-fight losing skid, with all three losses coming by stoppage, and unfortunately for Gustafsson, he suffered another setback on Saturday.

Cris Cyborg questions if Alexander Gustafsson has “earned enough” to retire after Daniel Cormier calls for ‘The Mauler’ to hang up his gloves
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 24, 2022
Daniel Cormier is urging Alexander Gustafsson to retire but Cris Cyborg wonders if he’s made enough money to do so. It’s no secret that Gustafsson has been on the decline in his pro MMA career. “The Mauler” went from giving former pound-for-pound king Jon Jones all he could handle to being finished four times in a row.

Alexander Gustafsson issues statement following TKO loss to Nikita Krylov at UFC London
Chris Taylor - July 23, 2022
Today’s UFC London event featured the return of Alexander Gustafsson, who was ending a two-year layoff. ‘The Mauler’ squared off with Nikita Krylov in a light heavyweight contest which was featured on today’s main card lineup.

Pros react after Nikita Krylov TKO's Alexander Gustafsson at UFC London
Chris Taylor - July 23, 2022

UFC London Results: Nikita Krylov stops Alexander Gustafsson in Round 1 (Video)
Chris Taylor - July 23, 2022
Today’s UFC London event features the return of Alexander Gustafsson who meets Nikita Krylov in a light heavyweight contest. Gustafsson (18-7 MMA) will enter the contest looking to snap a three-fight losing skid. In his most recent effort in July of 2020, Alex suffered a submission loss to former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.

Alexander Gustafsson explains why he decided to return to the UFC’s light heavyweight division: “That’s my division. So I’m back.”
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2022
Alexander Gustafsson will be making his return to the UFC’s light heavyweight division at Saturday’s event in London. Gustafsson has not fought since July of 2020 when he moved up to heavyweight and was submitted by Fabricio Werdum. Prior to that setback, ‘The Mauler’ lost by TKO to Jon Jones for the belt and after his submission loss to Anthony Smith, he announced his retirement from the sport. However, he ended up coming back for the Werdum fight at heavyweight which ultimately didn’t go his way.

Ben Rothwell released from UFC just weeks before his scheduled fight against Alexander Gustafsson
Cole Shelton - March 31, 2022
Ben Rothwell is no longer a member of the UFC roster. Rothwell was scheduled to fight Alexander Gustafsson at heavyweight on May 21. However, on Thursday it was revealed by algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch that ‘Big Ben’ was removed from the fan rankings pool. MMAFighting then confirmed with the promotion that the UFC decided to release Rothwell.

Former UFC title challenger Alexander Gustafsson praises the work ethic of Khamzat Chimaev: “He works harder than I ever worked”
Harry Kettle - February 9, 2022
UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson has praised training partner and rising star Khamzat Chimaev for his work ethic. Ever since arriving in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Khamzat Chimaev has been one of the most talked-about fighters in all of mixed martial arts. The ruthless manner in which he’s been able to reach 4-0 in the promotion has staggered the masses and now, with a rumoured bout against Gilbert Burns on the horizon, he’s already standing on the verge of a UFC welterweight title shot.

Alexander Gustafsson is planning a UFC return in 2022: “I wanna make up for the Werdum fight”
Harry Kettle - January 11, 2022
Former UFC title challenger Alexander Gustafsson has confirmed he wants to return to the Octagon in 2022. Once upon a time Alexander Gustafsson was viewed as one of the greatest fighters to never capture a UFC title. Now, though, after losing three on the bounce, some are wondering whether or not he was overrated by pundits as a result of his first performance against Jon Jones – the same outing that earned him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Khamzat Chimaev puts Kamaru Usman 'to sleep' when they fight, says Alexander Gustafsson
Cole Shelton - January 10, 2022
Alexander Gustafsson believes his training partner Khamzat Chimaev is the real deal. Chimaev burst onto the scene in 2020 as he fought twice in 10 days and then scored a one-punch KO over Gerald Meerschaert. He was later booked to headline a card against Leon Edwards, but due to COVID the fight never came to fruition.

Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson react after classic war at UFC 165 inducted into UFC Hall of Fame
Adam Martin - September 26, 2021
Longtime Octagon rivals Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson reacted after their classic war at UFC 165 was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. On September 21, 2013, Jones and Gustafsson went five hard rounds in the main event of UFC 165 in what was one of the greatest MMA fights of all time. Up until that point, no one had given any problems to Jones inside the Octagon, so when Gustafsson took down Jones in the first round, it was quite the shock. The two bitter rivals went toe-to-toe for 25 minutes, with Jones ultimately earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory. It was an amazing fight that to this date goes down as one of the greatest mixed martial arts battles that the fans have ever seen. And now it is officially a UFC Hall of Famer-inducted fight.

Alexander Gustafsson forced out of scheduled UFC fight with Paul Craig
Adam D Martin - August 22, 2021
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson has been forced out of his scheduled UFC fight with Paul Craig. Gustafsson was set to take on Craig in a high-profile 205lbs bout set for the September 4 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, MMAjunkie.com reports that Gustafsson has been forced to withdraw from the event due to an undisclosed injury. With “The Mauler” now off of the card, Craig has been left without an opponent. There is no immediate word yet on if the UFC will keep Craig on the September 4 card, or if the promotion will look to remove him from the event and re-book the fight against Gustafsson fight for a later date. For Craig’s sake, he will likely hope he can stay on the card instead.

Khamzat Chimaev heading to Las Vegas with Alexander Gustafsson ahead of UFC return
Adam D Martin - June 2, 2021
UFC welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev is heading to Las Vegas alongside teammate Alexander Gustafsson ahead of their returns to the Octagon. Chimaev hasn’t fought since last September when he knocked out Gerald Meeerschaert in 17 seconds due to health issues stemming from a severe case of COVID-19. The coronavirus was so hard on Chimaev’s body that he even temporarily announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. However, he was able to get healthy and he decided to re-commit to the sport and announced that he will be returning to “smash” his foes.

Alexander Gustafsson announces summer comeback: “I’m coming back stronger than ever”
Harry Kettle - May 12, 2021
UFC heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson has announced that he plans to make his return to the Octagon this summer. The popular Swede hasn’t fought since last July when he was beaten by Fabricio Werdum in an upset submission defeat over on Fight Island. The loss marked his third in a row but his first at heavyweight after setbacks against Jon Jones and Anthony Smith at 205 pounds.

Video | Khamzat Chimaev looks sharp on the pads during training session with Alexander Gustafsson
Adam Martin - January 26, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev looked sharp on the pads during a recent training session with Alexander Gustafsson in Sweden. Chimaev finally returns to the Octagon on March 13 when he takes on Leon Edwards. The fight between these two rivals has been booked twice previously but each time it fell apart after both men tested positive for COVID-19. Chimaev was said to have had a rough battle with the coronavirus and was slow to make his recovery, pushing this bout back from its intended January 20 date to March 13. He appears to finally be healthy and he’s back in the gym at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm.

Video | Khamzat Chimaev unloads bullets alongside Alexander Gustafsson
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev unloaded bullets in a new video showing him shooting guns alongside veteran Alexander Gustafsson. FrontKickOnline recently released a video of Chimaev and Gustafsson shooting huge guns for two minutes straight. The two Swedish mixed martial artists are teammates at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm and took some time out of their schedules to head to the gun range and unload some bullets. Check out the video of Chimaev and Gustafsson shooting some massive guns below.

Pros react to Fabricio Werdum stopping Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Island 3
Chris Taylor - July 25, 2020
Tonight’s UFC Fight Island 3 main card featured a interesting heavyweight matchup between Alexander Gustafsson and Fabricio Werdum. The former multiple-time light heavyweight title challenger, Gustafsson (18-6 MMA), was making his heavyweight debut when he collided with Werdum this evening. The Swede had previously retired from MMA following his submission loss to Anthony Smith in June of 2019, but recently found the fire to get back in the Octagon.

UFC Fight Island 3 Results: Fabricio Werdum stops Alexander Gustafsson in Round 1 (Video)
Chris Taylor - July 25, 2020
Tonight’s UFC Fight Island 3 main card features an intriguing heavyweight matchup between Alexander Gustafsson and Fabricio Werdum. The former multiple-time light heavyweight title challenger, Gustafsson (18-6 MMA), will be making his heavyweight debut when he collides with Werdum this evening. The Swede had retired from MMA following his submission loss to Anthony Smith in June of 2019, but recently found the fire to get back in the Octagon.