Alexander Gustafsson seems to be the uncrowned third contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight, according to many MMA fans, but I’m not so sure that this fight is in any way a certainty. I think people have forgotten how much of a beast Thiago Silva is at this point.
Silva has only lost twice in his UFC career, and those losses were to light heavyweight top contender Rashad Evans, in which Thiago had a bad back injury coming in, and to former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
Silva is a tough, durable and strong light heavyweight who, at 205 pounds, is capable of knocking out any man. Admittedly, Thiago Silva is a huge question mark at this point, but if he is healthy his powerful punches could spell a short night for the “Mauler.”
Alexander Gusafsson is a rising prospect in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. His only loss in the UFC was a submission loss to Phil Davis. Since then he has rattled off an impressive winning streak, most recently knocking out tough veteran Vladimir Matyushenko in the first round.
Prediction
It seems to me that ever since Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was replaced by Thiago Silva, there has been a significant amount of the MMA fan base that has awarded Alexander Gustafsson the victory already. There are even people who feel he is the third in line to fight Jon Jones after Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
In part, I understand the mentality, seeing that Gustafsson had the winning streak, Silva had a long layoff and Gustafsson has his height, which could be seen as an advantage as well.
Something tells me everyone is overlooking Thiago Silva. Not to say that Alexander Gustafsson won’t get a title shot in the near future, but in this fight I think Thiago will come out aggressively, take the center of the Octagon and put pressure on Gustafsson that he won’t be able to deal with.
I see Thiago Silva winning this fight by knockout.
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