A huge light heavyweight bout between former contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira has been booked for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 69 event. The news was first reported by Swedish MMA site Kimura.se and was then confirmed by UFC President Dana White in an interview with MMA Crazy TV on YouTube.
The fight features two fan-favorite sluggers in desperate need of a win.
Gustafsson, who became an overnight sensation through his UFC 165 bout with Jon Jones, had his dreams of an immediate rematch squashed when the UFC booked Teixeira to face Jones at UFC 172. While Gustafsson worked his way back into contention by beating Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 37, he was forced to withdraw from a UFC 178 bout with Jones and was replaced by Daniel Cormier. From there, he went on to lose to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFC on Fox 14.
Teixeira, on the other hand, tore apart the Brazilian MMA scene from 2009 through 2012 and entered the Octagon with a great deal of hype. While he initially made good on the high expectations placed on him by UFC brass, he was absolutely mauled by Jones at UFC 172 and was then handily defeated by Phil Davis at UFC 179, which left his place in the division completely unclear.
Gustafsson vs. Teixeira is expected to serve as the main event for UFC Fight Night 69, which will take place in Berlin on June 20. No other bouts have been announced for the event, so stick with Bleacher Report for more details on the card as they become available.
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