Alexander Gustafsson isn’t going to sugarcoat what went down in Stockholm on Jan. 26.
“It was a tough night,” the Swedish star said on a recent edition of The MMA Hour.
The UFC on FOX card was basically designed to set up a Gustafsson rematch with champion Jon Jones. The bout was held in Gustafsson’s hometown in front of the second-largest crowd in UFC history and was broadcast live in network television in the United States.
Instead, of course, the evening turned into the worst of Gustafsson’s career, as the man called “Rumble” turned Gustafsson’s dream night into a nightmare with a nasty first-round TKO.
“I just hate losing,” Gustafsson said. “I can’t stand it, I can’t lose any fight, but just, that fight [was] in my hometown.”
In reflecting on the defeat, Gustafsson refused to make any excuses, saying credit is due to his opponent for getting the job done.
“I was really excited for the fight, I went out there and I just made a mistake,” Gustafsson said, “Anthony saw that and he took advantage of it, that’s basically it. I didn’t feel any particular pressure, I felt fine. I was really excited for that fight, that’s it.
“I did a sloppy technique, I didn’t tuck my chin, I didn’t keep chin down and hands up,” he continued. “Anthony saw that and he did everything right, basically.”
With that, Gustafsson feels he is ready to move on, as he gets back in the gym and starts to prepare for his June fight in Berlin against Glover Teixeira.
“It’s been a rough time,” Gustafsson said. “But I’m back, it’s time to face everything and, I haven’t even watched the fight yet, but I will break it down, I will watch it with my team and see what went wrong there and everything. I’m back in training and I’m motivated again, and I can’t wait.”