UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson has spoken of his bitter disappointment in being forced out of this Saturday’s UFC on Fuel 9 event in his home country of Sweden.
In an interview with Fighters Only Magazine, he described it as the “worst time of my career.”
“It’s been terrible, been the worst moment in my life in my career so far. I lost once in my career but this is even worse. It’s been a circus. It’s been a rollercoaster,” said Gustafsson.
The Swedish title prospect was scheduled to fight former Strikeforce and DREAM 205-pound champion Gegard Mousasi in the latter’s first appearance under the UFC banner. A win in the match could have potentially launched him straight into a title fight against division champion Jon Jones, who’s currently training for a match again Chael Sonnen later this month.
“After I got the stitches the doctor said here in Sweden they’re very sensitive when it comes to blood and everything,” said Gustafsson.
The decision of the Swedish MMA Federation (SMMAF) to refuse to licence the fighter after inspecting the injury, has been highly controversial. UFC president Dana White has called it “the worst decision I have ever seen to pull [a] fight.”
Gustafsson agrees.
“I’ve been fighting the whole week me and my team to just get this fight, to make this happen. Just few days ago this wasn’t a problem. In my wildest fantasies I would never believe this would be happening…But now it’s happened and everything went so fast, I’ve been training my ass off, it’s been the best camp in my career, I’m in the best shape ever, I’m ready for fighting 10 rounds. I’m super hungry to fight.”
This is, indeed, a huge blow to the Swede who has only ever lost once in his entire 16-fight MMA career, and is currently riding a six-fight win streak. That has taken him closer to the title than almost anyone else in the division, and on Saturday, against Mousasi, he was ready to make his case. That is all left for an uncertain future now which, in the shifting sands of the UFC, could mean a title prospect is a long way off.
Jones is due to take on Sonnen at UFC 159 on April 27. Should the champion win, he could face Lyoto Machida in a rematch, after the Brazilian defeated former No. 1 contender, Dan Henderson, earlier this year.
However, that fight isn’t certain either, since Machida is eager to get back in the cage in a pre-title fight, perhaps at catchweight, against a different opponent. It may end up that the winner of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans at UFC 161 in June gets the nod instead—even though Evans has also faced and lost to Jones before.
There are certainly plenty of options for the UFC, if its 205-pound kingpin does in fact get past Sonnen in a couple of weeks. That’s why it’s imperative for Gustafsson to get back in the cage as soon as possible and make his case.
The Swedish fighter says he has no idea when he’ll be able to fight next, but he has been told to let the injury heal for a further two weeks.
Mousasi, meanwhile, is now facing Gustafsson’s teammate, the little known—and little fancied—Ilir Latifi.
Of his replacement, the Swede says, “He’s a great person and a great athlete. He’s very serious and he’s a strong guy. He’s going to give Gegard a fight on Saturday, that’s for sure.”
The match takes place in Stockholm on April 6.
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