The future of the UFC light heavyweight title picture will be decided when Alexander Gustafsson returns to Sweden for a No. 1 contender’s bout against Anthony Johnson at UFC on Fox 14.
The bout was officially announced on Wednesday by UFC President Dana White for the January 24 UFC on Fox card at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm.
According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm will be the second biggest venue in UFC history, right behind UFC 129’s Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Gustafsson’s last appearance in Sweden came back in 2012 at UFC on Fuel 2, where he defeated Thiago Silva in a lopsided unanimous decision. He then went on to defeat Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and challenge UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones for a the world title.
Despite coming up short against Jones, Gustafsson’s gutsy performance solidified his star status. He even earned a spot next to the champ on the EA Sports UFC video game.
After defeating Jimi Manuwa in March, Gustafsson was slated to rematch Jones in September, but he was forced to pull out of the fight after tearing his meniscus in training. He was subsequently replaced by Daniel Cormier and dropped back into the contender’s race.
Meanwhile, Johnson was recently cleared to compete after enduring a brief hiatus due to domestic violence allegations. He is arguably the hottest fighter right now in the light heavyweight division with eight straight wins, including lopsided victories over Phil Davis and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Given the locale, Gustafsson expects nothing short of an “epic event,” per UFC.com, as he works to climb back to the top of the division and earn a second crack at UFC gold.
“This is going to be an epic event,” Gustafsson told UFC.com. “I want more than 30,000 fans to come and witness me win on January 24. Then I’m going to go and get the title! My journey back to the top starts now.”
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