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Fallout: Alexander Gustafsson Is Redefining Striking At Light Heavyweight

Well, that was both beautiful and hard to watch wasn’t it. Alexander Gustafsson solidified his position as the third best light heavyweight in the world with an absolutely dominant performance over the tough Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 109. It was bloody, it was brutal, and it was a true masterclass in striking. Watching the battle unfold before my eyes, I caught glimpses of pure brilliance from Alexander Gustafsson who lived up to his moniker as “The Mauler” as he showed off is fast hands en route to a knockout victory. There was boxing and kickboxing on full display with some shades of karate mixed in. But not everyone was a fan of Gustasfsson’s style.

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Several different times the Swedish warrior would dodge heavy leather, duck out to the side, then sprint around the octagon and back to the center of the cage. Many people, including middleweight champion Michael Bisping and lightweight legend Gilbert Melendez, were outraged with Gustasfsson’s willingness to turn tail and run.

It’s totally understandable how this could be frowned upon, particularly when you consider that Gustafsson could have turned his sprinting into legitimate counter opportunities.

But you know what, I didn’t mind the tactic one bit and here’s why.

Alexander Gustafsson has been in a few wars already in the cage. Taking punishment shouldn’t be par for the course of being a warrior. Yes, perhaps he could have weaved, pivoted out and landed the same beautiful fight ending combination he showed off in the fifth round. But maybe he could have pivoted out and come face to face with a Teixeira left hook and see his title hopes vanish in an instant. The art of fighting isn’t about how much damage you can take and throw back (though that is a great Rocky quote). Nope. It’s about dishing out the punishment and avoiding punishment at all costs.

To some of you, simply saying that may sound like a cop out, but let’s really consider this for a moment. I’ve been punched in the face enough times to realize that staying in the pocket and brawling isn’t my cup of tea. No one goes into a fight just for the hell of it. You go in to win it and that means not getting your head knocked loose from your body. Alexander Gustafsson took the path of least resistance and at the end of the day secured a big win.

As for the actual fight itself, Alexander Gustafsson showed much improvement in his striking game. Not only did he land his jab on numerous occasion, he also seems to have become proficient in setting up elbow strikes as well.

Gustafsson also showed off a few karate based attacks with a spinning back kick, a blitz, and even fighting from both orthodox and southpaw stances.

By the end of the fight, Glover Teixeira had no clue what his opponent would do next, yet he valiantly hung in there. But despite his heart, we saw no real versatility from Teixeira. Barely any kicks, not enough feints, and a willingness to throw all his punches to the head rather than varying the levels of his attacks.

When all was said and done, it was Gustafsson’s uppercuts that won the day as he finished with a flurry. The work he was doing with his lead hand throughout the bout made it easy for him to gauge the range for his uppercuts of death followed by the overhand right of doom that closed the show.

While the haters and uninitiated will talk crap about Gustafsson and even this very article, “The Mauler” will be collecting checks and readying himself for another crack at the UFC light heavyweight belt. Let’s just appreciate the fact that Alexander Gustafsson figured out a way to beat the opposition without taking punishment in return and adding to his highlight reel. But though he may have had success getting away with the sprinting in this fight, it may not work against a man like Jon Jones you isn’t shy about throwing kicks.

Is Alexander Gustafsson the best striker at light heavyweight?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Top 10 Unintentionally Hilarious MMA Fighter Quotes

Conor McGregor is a master on the mic, Chael Sonnen can cut a promo like no other and Dominick Cruz is as smart and insightful as anyone in the sport, but let’s face it, there’s plenty of fighters out there who don’t share their gift for the gab. You can’t blame them. After all, you […]

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You can’t blame them. After all, you try busting out your snappiest one-liners and lucid streams of consciousness live on air after 15 minutes of getting punched and kicked in the head, as thousands of fans yell in the background and millions around the world judge you on your every word.

Nonetheless, it would be remise of us not to notice that moments like these often provide the perfect breeding ground for some of the most unintentionally hilarious quotes you’re ever likely to hear, and so in this article we’ll pay tribute to 10 of the very best of them!

Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz has truly proven himself to be a black belt in World Salad over the years.

For instance, who can forget the time he served as Affliction’s in-cage interviewer for their ‘Banned’ show in 2008.

”I want to tell me what you see. Let’s go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring,” he incoherently babbled to Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral.

That night Ortiz would take to calling Sobral, “Seraldo”, Russian heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko, “Theodore,” and of course not forgetting, “Matt ‘The Lindland’ Law.”

Then there’s the time Ortiz mused that strategizing as a coach on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show was, “like a game of chest.”

However, if there’s one quote that stands out like a shining beacon from the rest, it has to be when he humbly declared:

”God put me on this earth to be a tool.”

Later in that same Bellator 120 presser, Ortiz would answer a question about retirement by stating that, “When I start sounding retarded, perhaps its time to stop.”

No one had the heart to tell him and he’d go on to fight for three more years.

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Glover Teixeira Reacts To Vicious Eye Poke From Alexander Gustafsson

Glover Teixeira is reporting that an accidental eye poke he incurred during his loss to Alexander Gustafsson on Sunday, played a role in the fight, but only in the bout’s opening stages. Teixeira battled Gustafsson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 109 on Sunday, which went down in the latter’s hometown of Stockholm, […]

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Glover Teixeira is reporting that an accidental eye poke he incurred during his loss to Alexander Gustafsson on Sunday, played a role in the fight, but only in the bout’s opening stages.

Teixeira battled Gustafsson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 109 on Sunday, which went down in the latter’s hometown of Stockholm, Sweden. In the opening frame, Teixeira took a finger to the eye, and was clearly (understandably) bothered by it. The Brazilian light-heavyweight, however, opted to continue, and as the fight wore on, Gustafsson’s footwork and boxing began to dominate the action. Finally, in round five, “The Mauler” put Teixeira away with a vicious flurry of punches.

Since then, the 37 year-old Teixeira spoke with MMA Fighting to discuss the one-sided fight. During the interview, the heavy-handed fighter had this to say about the eye poke he took early on:

“If I tell you that that didn’t disturb me, that’s a lie,” Teixeira said. “Everybody knows, a fighter or not, that getting poked in the eye like that, it was strong, so that disturbed me. But if I had gotten knocked out right after that, I’d definitely blame it. I went back in there without seeing anything. I was seeing three Gustafssons. It was all blurry, but I thought I’d have five minutes (to recover).

“I don’t know if you saw this, but I told the (referee) ‘of course I’ll come back to fight, but I need a time to, I don’t know, rub my eyes, wait to recover’. But he said ‘you get no time, you get no time. Or you’re good to come back or you’re not.’”

Now, if you’re thinking Teixeira’s just tossing out excuses for the defeat, hold up. The veteran fighter went on to report that his vision was back to normal by round three. In addition, Teixeira also praised Gustafsson for his speed, and said that the Swedish star was “better”.

Teixeira did say, however, that he doesn’t think he would have been knocked out necessarily, if not for the eye poke. But, Teixeira also relayed the following message to the light heavyweight contender:

“Congratulations to Gustafsson. He fought me in the best shape of my life, no injuries whatsoever. I have no excuses.”

And as far as Teixeira not receiving any additional time to recover from the eye poke? Well, since UFC Fight Night 109, Mark Goddard, who officiated the fight, is reporting that fighters only receive 5 minutes of recovery time for groin strikes. Not eye pokes. So this is why Teixeira was asked, soon after taking the foul, whether he was good to go or not.

All this aside, it’s going to be interesting to see where Teixeira goes from here. The bout marked the second time in Teixeira’s last three fights that he’s been stopped. Prior to his quick, KO loss to Anthony Johnson last year, Teixeira hadn’t been finished since 2002.

So, when you consider Teixeira’s age, and the level of talent at 205 pound, you have to wonder if a title run is still possible. There’s no doubt that Teixeira still hits like a truck, and that he’s ridiculously dangerous on the ground as well. So, it might be a bit early to count Teixeira out just yet, but another loss would be a massive setback.

Do you think the noted finisher can climb his way back into a championship fight?

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Poll: Does Alexander Gustafsson Deserve The Next Title Shot?

Top-ranked UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson burst back into the UFC 205-pound title picture in a big way at yesterday’s (Sun., May 28, 2017) UFC Fight Night 109 from the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, knocking out fellow former title challenger Glover Teixeira with a brutal fifth-round sequence following a drawn-out beatdown. The win, at […]

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The win, at least for now, put to rest question marks about Gustafsson after he had gone 2-3 over his past five bouts with an uninspiring decision over Jan Blachowicz serving as his most recent win. But despite the lackluster record on paper, Gustafsson has given the world’s top two light heavyweights, Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones, extreme runs for their money in two of the best back-and-forth bouts the division has ever seen at UFC 192 and UFC 165, respectively.

Those facts and the sheer lack of true depth in the division following Anthony Johnson’s impromptu retirement at UFC 210 have “The Mauler” on the precipice of yet another title shot against the winner of Cormier vs. Jones II at July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California (if it actually happens).

The only other legitimate title challenger to the throne would be surging knockout artist Jimi Manuwa, who is Gustafsson’s good friend ironically enough, even after “The Mauler” finished “Poster Boy” in their initial match in 2014. True, Cormier and Jones could run it back a third time, but there wouldn’t be too many complaining about the lightning-quick Swede getting another crack at either champion whom he only narrowly lost to the first time.

What do you think? Should “The Mauler” get a title shot in his next bout?

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UFC Fight Night 109 Reebok Fighter Payouts: Alexander Gustafsson & Glover Teixeira Top List

UFC Fight Night 109 is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money. UFC Fight Night 109 took place on Sunday, May 28, 2017 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The prelims aired on UFC Fight Pass with two bouts at 10 a.m. ET while four bouts […]

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UFC Fight Night 109 is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money.

UFC Fight Night 109 took place on Sunday, May 28, 2017 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The prelims aired on UFC Fight Pass with two bouts at 10 a.m. ET while four bouts aired on FOX Sports 1 at 11 a.m. ET. The main card aired on FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET with six bouts.

A light heavyweight bout between former title challengers Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira served as the main event. Volkan Oezdemir vs. Misha Cirkunov in a light heavyweight bout served as the co-main event. Rounding out the main card was Peter Sobotta vs. Ben Saunders in a welterweight bout, Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Omari Akhmedov in a welterweight bout, Oliver Enkamp vs. Nordine Taleb in a welterweight bout and Jack Hermansson vs. Alex Nicholson in a middleweight bout.

The full payouts include:

Alexander Gustafsson: $10,000 def. Glover Teixeira: $10,000

Volkan Oezdemir: $2,500 def. Misha Cirkunov: $2,500

Peter Sobotta: $5,000 def. Ben Saunders: $10,000

Omari Akhmedov: $2,500 def. Abdul Razak Alhassan: $2,500

Nordine Taleb$5,000 def. Oliver Enkamp$2,500

Jack Hermansson$2,500 def. Alex Nicholson$2,500

Pedro Munhoz: $5,000 def. Damian Stasiak: $2,500

Trevor Smith: $10,000 def. Chris Camozzi: $15,000

Joaquim Silva: $2,500 def. Reza Madadi: $5,000

Bojan Velickovic: $2,500 def. Nicholas Musoke: $2,500

Darren Till: $2,500 def. Jessin Ayari: $2,500

Damir Hadzovic: $2,500 def. Marcin Held: $2,500

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Alexander Gustafsson Revives Title Hopes with Brutal Beatdown of Glover Teixeira

As the dust settles on a rocky few years for Alexander Gustafsson, he once again finds himself sitting pretty in the UFC light heavyweight division.
Credit some of that good fortune to the puddle-shallow nature of the 205-pound class.
Credit the rest o…

As the dust settles on a rocky few years for Alexander Gustafsson, he once again finds himself sitting pretty in the UFC light heavyweight division.

Credit some of that good fortune to the puddle-shallow nature of the 205-pound class.

Credit the rest of it to the brutal, 21-minute beatdown Gustafsson handed Glover Teixeira en route to a fifth-round TKO win Sunday at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, in the main event of UFC Fight Night 109.

The victory likely revives Gustafsson’s dimming title hopes, after he scuffled to 2-3 in his previous five and managed just one fight each year in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

During that stretch, it appeared he might never escape the shadow of devastating, high-profile losses to Jon Jones, Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier—including two in championship bouts.

Now, he’ll almost certainly get one more chance.

Gustafsson exits this victory running neck-and-neck with Jimi Manuwa to see who will challenge the winner of the title rematch between Cormier and Jones at UFC 214. Given the fact Gustafson already holds a second-round knockout win over Manuwa from March, 2014—not to mention The Mauler’s slightly higher profile in the UFC—it seems probable he’ll get the nod if he stays healthy.

That’s a great reversal of fortune for Gustafsson, who had talked openly about retirement following his loss to Johnson in January 2015. As recently as February, 2016, he admitted he was having a hard time staying motivated for top-level competition.

Gustafsson looked determined and sharp against Teixeira this weekend, lashing the 37-year-old Brazilian with a dizzying array of punches, kicks and elbows. Teixeira came into the fight No. 2 on the UFC’s official 205-pound rankings, but exits it looking closer to a middle-of-the-pack contender as his career starts to wind down.

Still, Teixeira made this fight a battle. He never stopped pressing forward and threw his trademark power shots until the moment Gustafsson shut his lights out with three straight uppercuts and a right hook 1:07 into the final stanza.

If this fight ultimately goes down as a turning point for Gustafsson, it will also be remembered for Teixeira’s sheer toughness.

“I hit him with bombs and he just took every shot,” Gustafsson told Fox Sports 1 UFC color commentator Dan Hardy in the cage when it was over. “… But my uppercut worked and I was working my elbows and knees. He’s a great fighter, but it was my day today.”

Gustafsson came to the fight well prepared to counter Teixeira’s hard-nosed offense, which has become a tad predictable since he lost his own title shot against Jones at UFC 172 in April, 2014.

With his 6’4″ frame and three-inch reach advantage, Gustafsson opted mostly to keep Teixeira at the end of his rangy punches and kicks. He scored early with jabs and low kicks, but his best weapon proved to be his lashing uppercut, which rocked Teixeira numerous times during the fight.

Gustafsson’s best highlight came with just under three minutes left in the second round, when he wobbled Teixeira using a spinning elbow and then dropped him with a pretty series of follow-up punches. Teixeira weathered it, but the exchange left him badly bloodied and he finished the bout with a possible broken nose and a right eye swelling after an accidental poke in the first round.

When Teixeira did try to close the distance and unload his wining shots, Gustafsson ducked under and sprinted back to the middle of the cage. It was a move he could get away with without suffering too many boos from his Swedish fans.

Despite this occasional refusal to engage, Gustafson continued to pepper Teixeira with shots on his own terms and the performance earned mostly rave reviews:

The impressive victory over Teixeira certainly made for a better homecoming than the one Gustafsson had in January 2015, when he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Johnson at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena.

That loss provided the lowest moment during Gustafsson’s recent trials, during which he still managed to keep himself in the championship conversation with victories over Manuwa and Jan Błachowicz.

Moving forward, the question will be whether he has or can improve enough to change the outcome in a rematch against either Jones or Cormier.

Gustafsson gave Jones arguably the toughest fight of his career at UFC 165 in September, 2013. In that bout, Gustafsson seemed on his way to winning the title over a listless Jones until the champion rebounded in the late round to sow up an unanimous decision.

Against Cormier at UFC 192 in October, 2015, Gustafsson faired just slightly better, when he forced a split-decision verdict but still came out on the wrong end.

For the time being, this victory sets the stage for him to at least get a shot at some hard-earned redemption.

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