Tag: Alexander Gustafsson

Anthony Smith Believes Alexander Gustafsson Fell Apart In Jon Jones Fight

Anthony Smith believes there was a big difference in how he lost to Jon Jones compared to how Alexander Gustafsson did. Though he suffered an in-fight injury, Gustafsson was soundly defeated by Jones via TKO in their rematch for the vacant light heavyweight title back in December. Jones would then outclass Smith over five rounds […]

The post Anthony Smith Believes Alexander Gustafsson Fell Apart In Jon Jones Fight appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Anthony Smith believes there was a big difference in how he lost to Jon Jones compared to how Alexander Gustafsson did.

Though he suffered an in-fight injury, Gustafsson was soundly defeated by Jones via TKO in their rematch for the vacant light heavyweight title back in December.

Jones would then outclass Smith over five rounds at UFC 235 in March to retain his title. Fittingly, both fighters are now slated to face each other in the main event of UFC Stockholm on June 1.

However, Smith believes a major difference between the two is that he can get through adversity unlike the Swede. And he intends on breaking Gustafsson this weekend.

“I had a (expletive) day at the office [vs. Jones] and was still able to be in there, and Alex wasn’t,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “Regardless of what he says, I think Alex has a history (where) he can get into some fire and fall apart. And that’s not me. I don’t fall apart in the fire.

“Even in the Jon fight, I didn’t fall apart. I just didn’t perform. I think he can be broken. I don’t say that as a way of disrespecting him. I have no beef with Alex, but if we’re being honest and taking about Xs and Os, he can be broken.”

No Game Plan For Gustafsson

Smith also feels he has been overthinking his strategy for his last few fights.

But against Gustafsson, he won’t be having any set game plan. Instead, will fight more like his true self which he hopes will translate to a better performance.

“I think I got away from who I am,” Smith added. “I’m a pressure fighter who counters and swings hammers. That’s what I do. I drop people into ugly, knockdown drag-outs and I beat them mentally.

“I think those last fights, I overthought it. So that’s been the whole focus. Just be me. There is no game plan for Alex. The last few fights, there have been pretty strict game plans, and they haven’t been my best performances.”

The post Anthony Smith Believes Alexander Gustafsson Fell Apart In Jon Jones Fight appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Alexander Gustafsson Claims In-Fight Injury Hindered Performance Against Jon Jones

Alexander Gustafsson wasn’t 100 percent for his rematch with Jon Jones in December. Speaking to Luke Thomas on “The MMA Hour,” Gustafsson explained that Jones’ inadvertent knee to the groin early in the bout hindered his performance for the remainder of the bout (via MMA Fighting): “I just didn’t perform like I used to,” Gustafsson […]

The post Alexander Gustafsson Claims In-Fight Injury Hindered Performance Against Jon Jones appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Alexander Gustafsson wasn’t 100 percent for his rematch with Jon Jones in December.

Speaking to Luke Thomas on “The MMA Hour,” Gustafsson explained that Jones’ inadvertent knee to the groin early in the bout hindered his performance for the remainder of the bout (via MMA Fighting):

“I just didn’t perform like I used to,” Gustafsson said. “I didn’t have the footwork going. And I have no excuses, it’s not that. It’s just like, after when he got me with that knee, I couldn’t really find the rhythm again. I just, I couldn’t move like I did before. I just had a lot of pain after that, and I’ve never had that type of pain in my career before in a fight.

“Of course, you have pain, you get shots from everywhere and you get back, you just keep pushing. But he just stopped me right there, and I tried to move, work it with my footwork, try to kick him or attack, be explosive. But none of that worked. I just couldn’t with my groin. So that’s basically it, and he took me down. Nobody can hold me down. Nobody can hold me down.

“Not DC, not Jon. Nobody. When he took me down there and when he finished me, I couldn’t move because of my groin. He just passed, he just went to half guard and just went up and did the crucifix stuff on me — and nobody does that to me. I wasn’t 100 percent. I just felt that I had so much pain in my groin that I couldn’t really get back into my rhythm again.

“And with that said, I don’t use this as an excuse or anything like that. He did what he had to do to beat me, and Jon is the best guy out there, so I don’t feel like I’m thinking about that loss nowadays. It is what it is and I just move forward now.”

Jones went on to finish “The Mauler” in the third round via TKO on the ground. It was his first defeat since 2015. Prior to that, Gustafsson dropped fights to Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira. Now, he’ll regroup in front of his native Swedish crowd next week (Sat. June 1, 2019).

He’ll main event UFC Stockholm opposite Anthony “Lionheart” Smith from the Ericsson Globe.

The post Alexander Gustafsson Claims In-Fight Injury Hindered Performance Against Jon Jones appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Anthony Smith: Gustafsson Breaks Much Easier Than Me

Anthony Smith and Alexander Gustafsson are both coming off a loss to Jon Jones in fights where they sought to become the first light heavyweight champion not named Daniel Cormier or Jon Jones since 2011. Both men came up short, but the opportunity to l…

Anthony Smith and Alexander Gustafsson are both coming off a loss to Jon Jones in fights where they sought to become the first light heavyweight champion not named Daniel Cormier or Jon Jones since 2011. Both men came up short, but the opportunity to learn and grow immediately presented itself following the losses and was […]

The post Anthony Smith: Gustafsson Breaks Much Easier Than Me appeared first on MMA News.

Gustafsson: Jones “Did What He Had to Do” to Beat Me

Alexander Gustafsson waited years to have another crack at Jon Jones after taking Jones to his limit in their initial 2013 encounter at UFC 165. After coming up short in that fight, Gustafsson vowed their rematch at UFC 232 would be different. It was d…

Alexander Gustafsson waited years to have another crack at Jon Jones after taking Jones to his limit in their initial 2013 encounter at UFC 165. After coming up short in that fight, Gustafsson vowed their rematch at UFC 232 would be different. It was different. It was much less competitive and there was a clear […]

The post Gustafsson: Jones “Did What He Had to Do” to Beat Me appeared first on MMA News.

Anthony Smith Vows To ‘Drill A Hole’ Through Luke Rockhold’s Face

There’s no love loss between former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith and ex-middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Rockhold had some unfavorable comments about “Lionheart” last year, which rubbed Smith the wrong way….

There’s no love loss between former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith and ex-middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Rockhold had some unfavorable comments about “Lionheart” last year, which rubbed Smith the wrong way. He went as far as saying he’d fight Rockhold in a Walmart parking lot if he ran into him. Now, the chance […]

The post Anthony Smith Vows To ‘Drill A Hole’ Through Luke Rockhold’s Face appeared first on MMA News.

Luke Rockhold On Why He Turned Down Gus Fight for UFC Stockholm

Luke Rockhold will be making his UFC light heavyweight debut when he takes on Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But there is another European Luke Rockhold was nearly booked to debut against, one whom was the UFC’s…

Luke Rockhold will be making his UFC light heavyweight debut when he takes on Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But there is another European Luke Rockhold was nearly booked to debut against, one whom was the UFC’s preference and is also highly ranked, that being former multiple-time […]

The post Luke Rockhold On Why He Turned Down Gus Fight for UFC Stockholm appeared first on MMA News.