It took all but two minutes and 13 seconds for Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson to once again prove he is no man to mess with in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
In stylish fashion, Gustafsson finished off the 40-year-old Vladimir Matyushenko by a series of strikes as the fight stopped allowing the 24-year-old superstar to capture his fourth consecutive win inside the Octagon.
Leading up to his main card bout with Matyushenko, many discussed how relevant of a contender Gustafsson truly was in the 205-pound weight division.
All doubts are now aside as Gustafsson is beginning to look a lot like the 2010 version of Jon “Bones” Jones.
To his advantage, Gustafsson stands 6’5” and demonstrates no trouble at all making the light heavyweight requirements as he weighed in at a lighter 203 pounds.
Minus a defeat to Phil Davis at UFC 112, Gustafsson has been nearly untouchable and is quickly being recognized as one of the more exciting fighters in the UFC today.
In fact, Gustafsson has gone to the judge’s scorecards just once in his career, finishing nine opponents by knockout and three more by submission.
The product of Sweden has also established himself as top 10 artist in the heavyweight division and is quickly climbing up the ranks.
It will be interesting to see who Gustafsson squares off with next as he’s a dangerous matchup to any fellow light heavyweight due to his lengthiness, quickness and well-rounded skill set.
It’s very likely Gustafsson could find himself squaring off with a top five opponent in Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in his up-and-coming bout as he’s lacking competition in his most recent bouts.
If Gustafsson continues to evolve as the force he’s becoming, he’s destined to be the future of the UFC light heavyweight division.
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