The Film Room: Alexander Gustafsson
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Alexander Gustafsson will set foot inside the Octagon for the first time in 2019 when he takes on Anthony Smith in the UFC Fight Night 153 headliner on Saturday at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. “The Mauler” has compiled a 3-4 record across his last seven appearances, with three of those losses coming in title fights. A win over Smith would keep him in the line of contenders at 205 pounds.
Gustafsson’s exploits are front and center in this installment of
The Film Room.
Gustafsson’s first fight with Jon Jones was perhaps his finest performance to date. Although he slowed down in the later rounds and allowed Jones to make an incredible comeback, his striking in the first two rounds created the blueprint to beat the champion on the feet: simplicity, timing and using Jones’ tendencies against him. Gustafsson was patient and waited for Jones to throw a kick, bite on a feinted jab or extend his lead hand before coming in with a 1-2 or lead hook. Gustafsson was the first person to match Jones’ length and proved that much of the champion’s game revolved around his being the bigger and taller man. He was not able to fully capitalize on these openings and none of those things played out in the rematch, but one day, we will look back at this fight as the first time we saw Jones look mortal.
Gustafsson takes a lot of heat for his willingness to turn his back and run to the center of the cage or away from his opponent. This is seen as a cheap tactic, but for someone who needs to fight on the outside to win, it is smart. Anytime his back was remotely close to the fence against Glover Teixeira, he would wait for the Brazilian to strike, duck under his punches and run to the center of the cage. Any fighter should use any legal technique necessary for success, and it is nice to see Gustafsson push aside the criticism and do whatever he needs to get the win.
Gustafsson is not known for his grappling prowess, but he was the first man to take down Jones and has relied on his ground game in the past. Against Jan Blachowicz, the Swede looked to get the fight to the ground at every turn and slowly picked apart the former KSW champion with ground-and-pound across all three rounds. He also had two rear-naked choke submissions early in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career and showed he could finish a fight no matter where it ends up. Both of those submission victories were back in 2011, but “The Mauler” now holds the rank of purple belt in jiu-jitsu. It would not be a surprise to see Gustafsson look for takedowns against Smith, as Jones enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in doing so at UFC 235 in March.
Alexander Gustafsson will set foot inside the Octagon for the first time in 2019 when he takes on Anthony Smith in the UFC Fight Night 153 headliner on Saturday at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. “The Mauler” has compiled a 3-4 record across his last seven appearances, with three of those losses coming in title fights. A win over Smith would keep him in the line of contenders at 205 pounds.
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Gustafsson is one of the craftiest strikers in the light
heavyweight division and relies on his perfection of the basics and
sound footwork and movement for success. He will not shock anyone
with a wide variety of attacks and mainly throws slapping 1-2s down
the middle. He also favors his rear uppercut more than most and
sets it up with a beautiful double jab that disrupts opponents’
rhythm and allows the uppercut to sneak through their guard. His
upright stance and low lead hand leave him wide open when throwing
these uppercuts, but overall, they are among his best weapons.
Gustafsson does not throw a lot of kicks, even though they would be
the perfect complement to his game since he likes to fight on the
outside. Kicks are a fighter’s longest strikes and would allow him
to keep opponents at distance easier.
Gustafsson’s first fight with Jon Jones was perhaps his finest performance to date. Although he slowed down in the later rounds and allowed Jones to make an incredible comeback, his striking in the first two rounds created the blueprint to beat the champion on the feet: simplicity, timing and using Jones’ tendencies against him. Gustafsson was patient and waited for Jones to throw a kick, bite on a feinted jab or extend his lead hand before coming in with a 1-2 or lead hook. Gustafsson was the first person to match Jones’ length and proved that much of the champion’s game revolved around his being the bigger and taller man. He was not able to fully capitalize on these openings and none of those things played out in the rematch, but one day, we will look back at this fight as the first time we saw Jones look mortal.
Gustafsson takes a lot of heat for his willingness to turn his back and run to the center of the cage or away from his opponent. This is seen as a cheap tactic, but for someone who needs to fight on the outside to win, it is smart. Anytime his back was remotely close to the fence against Glover Teixeira, he would wait for the Brazilian to strike, duck under his punches and run to the center of the cage. Any fighter should use any legal technique necessary for success, and it is nice to see Gustafsson push aside the criticism and do whatever he needs to get the win.
Gustafsson is not known for his grappling prowess, but he was the first man to take down Jones and has relied on his ground game in the past. Against Jan Blachowicz, the Swede looked to get the fight to the ground at every turn and slowly picked apart the former KSW champion with ground-and-pound across all three rounds. He also had two rear-naked choke submissions early in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career and showed he could finish a fight no matter where it ends up. Both of those submission victories were back in 2011, but “The Mauler” now holds the rank of purple belt in jiu-jitsu. It would not be a surprise to see Gustafsson look for takedowns against Smith, as Jones enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in doing so at UFC 235 in March.
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