It was 11 months in the making for Alexander Gustafsson, but when he finally returned to the cage at UFC Fight Night 93 on Saturday against Jan Blachowicz, he did so in style.
The popular Swede went three convincing rounds in dispatching his first test since a failed title bid at UFC 192, taking a unanimous decision over his durable foe and putting a stamp on his return to the light heavyweight ranks in the process.
The fight began with Blachowicz tagging Gustafsson in exchanges, as The Mauler looked to feel out the Octagon. After some light pummeling against the cage, the two separated, with Blachowicz seeking power shots, while Gustafsson looked to work from range.
That pattern repeated itself in the early part of the round, as the Swede appeared to be testing some new skills and seeing how sharp some of his more trademark goods were after his lengthy absence.
The back half of the round was defined by Blachowicz hunting for power shots. Gustafsson responded by taking the fight to the ground, again showcasing improvements in his already underrated wrestling and grappling. Blachowicz sought out submissions from guard but ate a number of elbows for his trouble.
Gustafsson remained heavy in top position, working to maintain alignment over his man with his hips in order to maximize his leverage. The round was competitive, but Gustafsson had a clear 10-9 edge in his favor.
Round 2 began with a wild exchange before Gustafsson hit a power double-leg takedown and followed up with big elbows from guard once the two hit the mat. Blachowicz mostly covered up, occasionally shrimping or throwing up his hips, but most often he took elbows to his forearms and head.
The two struggled in that position for much of the round, with Gustafsson beating Blachowicz up but not really passing and Blachowicz maintaining guard but not really improving his lot in life from the position. Neither seemed dissatisfied with the fight unfolding in such a fashion, and the round resulted in another 10-9 score for Gustafsson.
The third started with Blachowicz searching for power shots again, while Gustafsson looked loose and clean in evading and countering. As a kickboxing match, it was a competitive affair; however, Gustafsson elected to take Blachowicz down again when things got hairy. There was limited action there this time, though. Blachowicz had more success tying up his man and reducing the damage he was taking, and Gustafsson seemed less urgent, given that he was up two rounds.
After a failed guard pass, the ref stood them up, only for Gustafsson to score a single-leg takedown almost immediately and ride Blachowicz’s guard with punches, elbows and pass attempts for the final minute. Another 10-9 round for Sweden’s favorite son gave him the fight with little grounds for debate.
It was a great confidence-building win for Gustafsson, who should probably square off with Ryan Bader after the American’s big win over Ilir Latifi earlier on the card.
Blachowicz impressed with his ability to mitigate damage from guard and hunt for submissions with active hips. He also reminded people that he throws with bad intentions on the feet. For those reasons, he’d make a great foil for Latifi.
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