London, UK – Alexander Gustafsson returned to the light heavyweight division on Saturday, competing for the first time since a failed move to heavyweight in 2020. It was Nikita Krylov welcoming “The Mauler” back to 205, in what was likely the biggest fight of his career.
In turned out to be a rude welcome home for Sweden’s Gustafsson, who barely had time to get going before it was all over.
Round one kicked off, and aggressive wasn’t a strong enough word for how Krylov came after Gustafsson. After some exchanges Krylov dropped Gustafsson with a massive right hand that put the former title challenger on the canvas. After surviving for a short time after, Gustafsson was dropped once again and Krylov jumped on him to finish the fight via TKO.
CAUGHT HIM COLD 👊 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/e7detLq2ds
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 23, 2022
The win is undeniably the biggest of Krylov’s career. “The Miner,” now on his second stint with the promotion, came up short in London back in March, when he was submitted by Paul Craig. Achieving a much different result Saturday, he in turn called out Volkan Oezdemir for a fight at UFC 280 in the fall. Oezdemir faced Craig earlier on Saturday, coming away with a decision win.
Official Result: Nikita Krylov def. Alexander Gustafsson by knockout, Round 1, 1:07
