Alexander Gustafsson has been forced to withdraw from his light-heavyweight return bout scheduled for September 4 according to MMA Junkie.
The three-time 205lb title challenger was due to make his eagerly anticipated return to the division against the always-exciting, Paul Craig next month.
Unfortunately, an undisclosed injury has prompted Gustafsson to pull out of the fight. It remains unclear if Craig will remain on the card against an alternative opponent or if his fight with ‘The Mauler’ will be rescheduled.
Gustafsson appeared to begin a run at title contention in the UFC’s heavyweight division before he was submitted by former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum in his divisional debut. Before that, he had lost back-to-back fights against then-champion Jon Jones and top contender Anthony Smith before making the move up in weight.
Craig earned a TKO win over Jamahal Hill at UFC 263 and also dislocated Hill’s arm in the process. He has won four straight bouts with his lone blemish being a split-draw against Shogun Rua at UFC Fight Night 144. Craig would then dominate Rua in the rematch last November at UFC 255. The Scotsman is currently ranked at #12 in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division.
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Paul Craig vs. opponent TBA
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Do you think the UFC will reschedule Alexander Gustafsson vs. Paul Craig?