Fast-rising superstar Alexander Gustafsson has done a good job of making the UFC take notice of his tremendous skills. Utilizing a lengthy reach that prevented Thiago Silva from working his way inside, Gustafsson came out on top in the main event …
Fast-rising superstar Alexander Gustafsson has done a good job of making the UFC take notice of his tremendous skills. Utilizing a lengthy reach that prevented Thiago Silva from working his way inside, Gustafsson came out on top in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 2 in his native country of Sweden.
Now sitting firmly in the Top 10, the young Swede has put together an impressive 6-1 record against hefty competition inside the Octagon.
Not only that, but with the event selling out in only three hours, Gustafsson proved to Zuffa brass that he has drawing power in European markets.
When a fighter produces results in the cage and at the gates, you’d better believe that Joe Silva takes notice. Gustafsson is on the verge of another step up in competition for his next fight. Here is a look at five options for that contest.
Note: Many fans are already calling for Gustafsson to get a title shot or No. 1 contender bout for his next fight. I promise you that neither of those options are on this list. Thiago Silva was unranked at the time of yesterday’s fight, as were all of Gustafsson’s former opponents. Gustafsson may or may not be ready for such an immense challenge, and if you need an example of a prospect that got pushed too far too soon, look no further than Phil Davis and his anemic performance against Rashad Evans earlier this year.
In the co-main event of UFC on Fuel 2, Brian Stann was able to get back into the win column after knocking out Alessio Sakara in the first round. The win was Stann’s ninth KO victory and his 12th overall. With the win, Stann is hoping to clim…
In the co-main event of UFC on Fuel 2, Brian Stann was able to get back into the win column after knocking out Alessio Sakara in the first round.
The win was Stann’s ninth KO victory and his 12th overall.
With the win, Stann is hoping to climb back up the middleweight ranks. But there are some questions we still have for Stann before he climbs back up to the top.
It’s easy to get caught up in a UFC star. Because we only get to consume the sport in bunches, each event seems to take on undue importance. You can see it clearly every time Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre fight.Isn’t it funny how peop…
It’s easy to get caught up in a UFC star. Because we only get to consume the sport in bunches, each event seems to take on undue importance. You can see it clearly every time Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre fight.
Isn’t it funny how people only seem to realize they are among the top fighters in the world in the days after they compete? After a Silva fight, he’s the best fighter in the world. When St-Pierre has finished laying on someone, he gets all the praise. Regard in MMA is certainly event driven.
That’s part of the reason I’m cautious about stepping fully on board the Alexander Gustafsson hype train. Yes, the Swede had a great win over Thiago Silva in front of his countrymen, moving fluidly and dispatching a legitimate veteran fighter. But the questions that have hung over Gustafsson’s head for years still remain.
Silva is undoubtedly a real fighter, a human buzz saw with a mean streak we saw in full effect against Brandon Vera. But after a year on the shelf with a back injury (and suspension), he looked like he was moving in quicksand.
Besides, a win over Silva only confirms what we already knew about Gustafsson: he has long limbs, good movement and powerful strikes. As the ladies say in Game of Thrones, “It is known.” The lingering doubts about Gustafsson have nothing to do with his striking.
Two years ago, he was manhandled by Phil Davis, another promising prospect at light heavyweight. Have you seen anything to convince you that wouldn’t happen again? He beat two wrestlers in the days since, but that success is a little misleading. Vladimir Matsyushenko is 41 years old. Matt Hamill decided to retire immediately after his bout with Gustafsson. You’ll excuse me if neither win fills me to the brim with confidence.
Gustafsson may indeed be the next big thing at light heavyweight, but he hasn’t proven it yet. Put him in against a top wrestler like Ryan Bader.
If the “Mauler” walks out of that fight with his hand raised, then we can talk title shots. Before that? It’s all Sturm und Drang.
The two-month wait since the last UFC event had been agonising, but UFC on Fuel 2 taking place in Stockholm, Sweden last night, rewarded the patient with an outstanding night of action. At the top of the bill, Alexander Gustafsson systematically picked…
The two-month wait since the last UFC event had been agonising, but UFC on Fuel 2 taking place in Stockholm, Sweden last night, rewarded the patient with an outstanding night of action.
At the top of the bill, Alexander Gustafsson systematically picked apart Thiago Silva over three rounds on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
His performance earned him comparisons with Jon Jones, but those comparisons are still premature for this 25-year-old Swede. He still lacks the killer instincts of the incumbent light heavyweight champion and failed to show the sort of creativity that have become hallmarks of Jones. But if his performance on Saturday night is anything to go by, those pieces will fall into place soon enough.
Gustafsson was as assured in his abilities inside the Octagon as he was methodical. Staying on the outside where he could take full advantage of his reach, a pin-point accurate uppercut, perfectly timed, sent Silva to the floor early in the first round. It was a wake-up call for Silva, returning after a year-long ban, who struggled to get on the inside of Gustafsson the whole match.
To his credit Silva never stopped coming forward, never lost his will to fight right up until the final bell. The Brazilian is always just one swing away from ending the fight and the question was: Could Gustafsson maintain his composure for three rounds?
That he did. In what will be seen as his coming-out party, in front of his home crowd, he soaked up the pressure. Loose and composed, he never wavered from his game plan of fighting in the range and keeping Silva on the end of his jab. With slips, rolls and feints, he kept Silva at a distance as he picked apart his opponent.
The light heavyweight division has been crying out for a suitable challenger to the seemingly unassailable Jones, and based on his physical similarities alone, eyes are fixed on Gustafsson.
Like Jones, he’s lanky and has a reach advantage which seems to neutralise all his opponents. Similar comparisons were being made of Phil Davies, another tall, rangy light heavyweight. But Davies’ defeat at the hands of Rashad Evans proved he was still several fights away from challenging for the crown, and that may still be the case for Gustafsson.
However, another fight or two against a top-five competitor, perhaps where he has a chance to showcase his grappling, and he could be looking at a title shot sooner than expected.
Still, the fact that his name is being mentioned in the same breath as Jones is much to the Swede’s credit. He has the athleticism and self-belief to help him go all the way.
Elsewhere, the main card provided an easy night for the judges, replete with knockouts and submissions. Middleweight Brian Stann made a triumphant return to the Octagon after his loss to Chael Sonnen last October.
In a way, Alessio Sakara was the perfect matchup for Stann. As a brawler, the Italian played straight into Stann’s game, falling into the American’s powerful Muay Thai clinch, and then being put on his back with a series of powerful knees to the head, inside the first round.
There Sakara regained his composure for a minute before Stann’s equally powerful ground-and-pound finished him off in one of the All-American’s finest performances.
It was an even shorter night for Brazilian Paulo Thiago who took on newcomer Siyar Bahadurzada. The Afghan dropped a charging Paulo Thiago cold inside 40 seconds of the first round and the match was over.
Having shown so much promise early on in his career, Thiago again fell short—rushing into a Bahardurzada uppercut, and gifting the Afghan Knockout of the Night honours in his UFC debut.
In the featherweight division, it was Dennis Siver’s night as the German beat Diego Nunes via unanimous decision.
There were no signs that the weight cut had slowed Siver in what was for the most part an even encounter. Nunes showed plenty of flashy spinning manoeuvres, but a stoic Siver was equal to the challenge. By the third round, the German had found his range and timing, and evened out the match in every respect.
The two fighters cancelled each other out for the most part and a draw would have been a fair result. But it was Siver’s night, scoring 29-28 on all three judges’ score card.
Those score cards were not needed in the welterweight match between DaMarques Johnson and John Maguire.
Proving that Englishman can grapple, Maguire had top control for most of the two rounds where he picked his shots and worked the submissions.
But Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter runner-up Johnson showed he’s no slouch on his back, transitioning between submissions with the highest level of jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately for him, Maguire also proved his BJJ credentials and when Johnson went for a Kimura, leaving himself vulnerable to an arm bar, the Englishman was quick to capitalise forcing Johnson to tap in the second round.
In the final match on the main card, the first televised on the night, bantamweight Brad Pickett took on Damacio Page. Both fighters came out at a furious pace, looking for the knockout. Indeed a knockdown did come for the more patient Pickett early in the second round, a foretaste of what was to come.
Both men were non-stop, but Brad “One Punch” Pickett proved the superior boxer, forcing Page to scramble for a takedown and leaving himself vulnerable to the rear naked choke.
It was a great start to the season and a showpiece night of MMA for Sweden. All eyes are now on next week’s UFC 145 in Atlanta where Rashad Evans will challenge for the light heavyweight title against Jon Jones. Whatever the outcome of that night, Gustafsson’s victory in Stockholm means that the light heavyweight division just got that little bit more interesting.
The UFC wanted to return to the airwaves in the way that only they know how, and they did it with UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Stockholm tonight. They wanted to deliver an action packed event with Alexander Gustafsson, Thiago Silva, Paulo Thiago, Siyar Bahadurz…
The UFC wanted to return to the airwaves in the way that only they know how, and they did it with UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Stockholm tonight. They wanted to deliver an action packed event with Alexander Gustafsson, Thiago Silva, Paulo Thiago, Siyar Bahadurzada, Brad Pickett and more, and nobody is doubting that they did exactly that.
In short, the UFC had a successful debut to break into the Swedish market and they also returned to form by giving the world another great night of MMA action.
The only bummer was that it was a Fuel TV card, and while some providers carry it, some providers do not carry it at all, so who really saw it?
Sure, we can say that the people with either Fox Deportes or Fuel TV were able to see this card, and it’s true that those lucky enough to afford the subscription were able to witness the magic live, but what about the ones that don’t have the subscription?
Do we just say, “Sucks for them, they missed out?” I suppose we could say that, but if access to Fuel TV is a problem, are there measures that could be taken to ensure that every cable provider could supply Fuel to those who demand it at an affordable subscription fee?
If not, the question of how more fans could get Fuel TV or get access to the fights goes up in the air unless someone wants to suggest the UFC.tv webcast of the event.
After all, most UFC events and UFC fights can be found on UFC.tv and most fans can get the events on their computer screen through the UFC.tv option, complete with the ability to hear what the corner-men say and the ability to watch the fight from four angles at a time.
Other than UFC.tv, the only other option is to wait for videos of the fights to hit the Internet in some form or another.
On one hand, that’s not a problem for anyone because, hey, they’re watching the fights anyway, right? In the long run, all that matters is that people are witnessing great MMA action, especially if they missed out on somehow seeing it live and only wanted to watch the fights without much regard as to how they access it, so long as it doesn’t get them arrested or served with a subpoena.
On the other hand, however, many would prefer to watch the fights live, especially when there are cards with the excitement potential that this UFC on Fuel TV 2 card had. It’s from there that we return to the question of how fans should go about demanding Fuel TV when there’s no immediate way for some providers to supply the channel at an affordable monthly rate?
However, it may have to happen, it will need to happen as soon as possible so that fans are not denied the right to witness great cards like the one that took place tonight because at the end of the day, UFC on Fuel TV was a successful event and a fantastic fight card.
The only problem with the card? Few, if anybody, were able to witness the action as it happened. Unless something changes as soon as possible, things will unfortunately not appear to change at any time in the future.
Lateral movement—not running—did it for Condit, er, I mean Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson in winning the unanimous decision over Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC on Fuel 2 in Stockholm, Sweden last night. That and m…
Lateral movement—not running—did it for Condit, er, I mean Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson in winning the unanimous decision over Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC on Fuel 2 in Stockholm, Sweden last night.
That and more activity in the standup striking won it for Gustafsson right in his home country, making his compatriots loud and proud.
They both tried to go for the finish and not towards the 15-minute finish line, but they were too good to collapse along the track.
They proved that they were sturdier than the vast majority of their previous opponents who ended flaccid, like clocks in a Salvador Dali painting, before a round timed out.
It was only Gustafsson’s second decision win in his 14-1 record, with 12 all coming by the shorter route. This proves that Silva is made of stronger stuff than Vladimir Matyushenko and Matt Hamill, the Swede’s previous victims inside the Octagon.
Likewise, Silva is a known finisher with 13 abbreviated fights in his 14-3 and 1 no contest MMA career. Well, Gustafsson drinks more coffee than Keith Jardine or Houston Alexander.
Anyway, it’s really an insult to both fighters to assume that they’d get knocked out cold by the other, in spite of their feared KO power.
Silva was resilient enough to get only knocked down and not out by the Swede. And Gustafsson could only be shaken but not fallen by a couple of hard overhand rights by the Brazilian.
Gustafsson’s masterful use of the lateral movement in circling Silva, in landing more strikes and getting out of harm’s way, was undoubtedly instrumental in The Mauler’s win.
Only those afflicted with Alypius’ addiction to blood in the Roman gladiatorial arenas could complain on the Swede’s success last night.
Alypius, who according to his friend Saint Augustine’s Confessions, “was wounded more deeply in his soul than the man whom he desired to look at was wounded in his body.”
Nitpicking on the Swede’s height and mere 1.5-inch reach advantage? Blame God or Mother Nature anytime.
It’s easy to get caught up in a UFC star. Because we only get to consume the sport in bunches, each event seems to take on undue importance. You can see it clearly every time Jon Jones, 