First it was Volkan Oezdemir, now it’s Alexander Gustafsson off the UFC 227 card due to injury.
It looks like the injury bug has struck the same UFC 227 bout for the second time. Alexander Gustafsson had been set to face Volkan Oezdemir at the event in Los Angeles next month. In fact, the UFC moved Oezdemir from Sunday’s UFC Hamburg card to pair him up with ‘The Mauler.’ However, Oezdemir was forced off the card due to injury, leaving the UFC to consider names like Khalil Rountree and UFC Hamburg winner Anthony Smith.
No need. As per a report from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Gustafsson is off the UFC 227 card as well. Although it seems he agreed to face Rountree on short notice, a minor injury has taken him out of the running to appear at UFC 227.
In a statement to ESPN, Gustafsson’s agent, Nima Safapour, said that the injury occurred last week. “Since that time, we have been working closely with the UFC doctors, our doctors in Sweden, and the experts at the UFC Performance Institute,” Safapour said. “We have been advised that Alex has a minor injury and he will not be permitted to compete at UFC 227.”
Gustafsson most recently defeated Glover Teixeira in May of 2017. He has been out since, though the two-time light heavyweight title challenger remains on a two-fight win streak. The bout against Oezdemir was seen by many as a potential title eliminator, though never officially announced as such.
Noting Alex’s willingness to face Rountree as a late replacement, Safapour added that “Alex will be fighting again very soon. He will give his side of the story shortly. We don’t care who the opponent is.” That said, the fighter is looking for a bout that is “meaningful” when it comes to the title picture.
UFC 227 takes place August 4 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
