After a month and a half since announcing his retirement, Alexander Gustafsson is now pondering a return.
Two-time UFC title challenger Alexander Gustafsson incurred his second straight defeat in early June, when he was forced to submission by Anthony Smith in front of his home crowd in Stockholm. The loss urged “The Mauler” to announce his retirement, after 12 years of professional competition.
A month and a half later, the 32-year-old Swedish fighter is now pondering a return.
“I fought my last fight against Anthony Smith, and it didn’t go as planned,” Gustafsson told MMA Nytt. “I felt an incredible frustration, I’m a really sore loser and I left my gloves in the cage and felt that it’s enough now. But with that said I still have this tingle in my hands.
“This is very new, it’s been a month and I’m far from a retired fighter in my way of thinking and such,” he added. “I’ve made my decision and so on but it takes time to adapt and accept the new things in life and your role in all of it.”
Retirement announcements aren’t really permanent in combat sports. Last May, UFC Hall-of-Famer Urijah Faber announced his return for UFC Sacramento against Ricky Simon, which takes place this Saturday, July 13th.