Former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson set to return against Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 282 in December

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.

At UFC London in July, the former title challenger suffered his fourth defeat in a row. This time, Krylov handed Gustafsson a first-round knockout loss. Following the defeat, there were several calls for the light-heavyweight staple to retire.

In the following months, the Swede went quiet as to a return. However, it seems that he’s decided not to retire, and already has a fight set. As first reported by MMA Junkie, Gustafsson will return at UFC 282 in December.

Standing opposite Alexander Gustafsson is fellow title challenger Ovince Saint Preux. Like ‘The Mauler’, ‘OSP’ has been a staple of the division for a decade. His biggest moment came in 2016, when he challenged Jon Jones for interim gold, losing by a decision.

The Haitian fighter is fresh off his rematch with Shogun Rua in May. In their first outing, the Brazilian lost by brutal first-round knockout in 2014. In the rematch eight years later, Saint Preux moved to 2-0 in the series with Rua, winning by split decision.

The addition of the light-heavyweight fight just makes UFC 282 even greater. The card is currently set to be headlined by a championship rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira. In their first fight in June, the Czech fighter won by fifth-round submission.

The undercard also features several big names as well. Other key matchups, such as Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Chris Daukaus are set for the event. Bo Nickal’s UFC debut against Jamie Pickett is also scheduled for the card.

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