Following his fourth-round submission loss to Anthony “Lionheart” Smith earlier today (Sat., June 1, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 11 from Stockholm, Sweden, former light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson took his gloves off and left them in the cage.
While “Mauler” didn’t actually say this was his last fight inside of the Octagon, his post-fight actions suggested he was ready to hang it all up. Losing at home in the fashion that he did probably didn’t help his chances of sticking around.
“I’m very disappointed,” Gustafsson said during his post-fight interview. “It happened again. I lost in my own home. But it’s a sport. You do it because you love it, and it is what it is. Lionheart Anthony Smith, he’s tough as nails and a great guy.
“I just want to thank you all for coming out this night and supporting all of the fighters here. Every time the UFC comes back, it’s a highlight and it’s amazing to be here and compete and hear the cheers.”
“The show is over, guys,” concluded Gustafsson as he left his gloves in the cage (shown in the above video player)
Gustafsson, 32, is widely regarded as one of the best light heavyweights of all time to never win a UFC title. The towering Swede has had three chances to hoist UFC gold in the past, but the likes of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier stood in the way. Outside of those two fighters, who are the No. 1 and No. 2 best light heavyweights ever, Gustafsson dominated the competition in fashion.
If this was in fact his last Octagon appearance “The Mauler” will leave behind a 10-6 UFC record with key victories over Glover Teixeira, Jimi Manuwa, Mauricio Rua, Thiago Silva, and Matt Hamill. He can also be credited as one of the biggest names to put Swedish MMA on the map.
For complete UFC Stockholm results and coverage click here.