London, England — When it comes to the move back to light heavyweight, where he’ll compete at this weekend at UFC London, Swedish star Alexander Gustafsson said simply that “it’s my division” during Wednesday’s media day.
“So feeling good to be back. My body feels good. That’s it. It’s my division.”
There’s no regrets on Gustafsson’s part regarding his brief move to heavyweight, however. “Not at all. A fight is a fight. I felt the heavyweight division, I was feeling very comfortable in the heavyweight division.”
Later, he’d add that “the heavyweight division was a good experience for me. Even though I lost a fight, it was still a good experience for me.” But, he added, “I’m more happy to be back in light heavyweight, and perform. Get the W back.”
The Swedish fighter, a two-time title challenger at 205 pounds, lost his lone heavyweight fight in the UFC against Fabricio Werdum in 2020. He hasn’t fought since; that will change at the O2 Arena in London this Saturday, with Gustafsson booked opposite Nikita Krylov.
Gustafsson, who has shared the cage with Jon Jones, Glover Teixeira, and many of the best light heavyweights in the company, believes the path back to title contention is simple.
“I need to beat people up,” Gustafsson said Wednesday. “And that’s the plan.”
Gustafsson’s teammate Khamzat Chimaev just landed a big fight against Nate Diaz, headlining UFC 279. Asked for his reaction, “The Mauler” said seeing a teammate reach those heights was “Amazing.”
“He’s going to do what he’s doing all the time, Khamzat. He’s just going to go in there and beat him up. He’s ready, he’s ready for it. I know you’ve all seen him, whatever they put in front of him, he’s going to beat it up. He’s ready.”
Watch the full UFC London media day appearance from Paddy Pimblett above. The event takes place this Saturday, July 23, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
