Gustafsson (18-8) will face Ovince St. Preux (26-16) at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMA Junkie was first to report news of the booking, which will take place at 205 pounds.

“The Mauler” returned from retirement in 2020, losing a heavyweight contest against former champ Fabricio Werdum. After missing all of 2021, Gustafsson returned to action at UFC London this past July, where he was knocked out by Nikita Krylov. Overall, the Swede has lost his last four fights.

St. Preux recently snapped a two-fight skid of his own, returning to the win column with a split decision victory against Shogun Rua this past May.

UFC 282 does not yet have a main event set, but will take place on December 10, 2022 in Las Vegas with the following bouts attached:

• Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
• Billy Quarantillo vs. Alexander Hernandez
• T.J. Brown vs. Erik Silva
• Dricus du Plessis vs. Darren Till
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Chris Daukaus
• Chris Curtis vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Daniel da Silva vs. Vinicius Salvador
• Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
• Cameron Saaiman vs. Ronnie Lawrence
• Ovince Saint Preux vs. Alexander Gustafsson
• Jan Błachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev

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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

The post UFC London: Nikita Krylov Scores Biggest Win Of Career, KO’s Gustafsson appeared first on Cageside Press.

“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.

The post UFC London: Alexander Gustafsson Calls Heavyweight “Good Experience,” But Happy to Be Back to 205 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rothwell (39-14) had been expected to face former light heavyweight contender Gustafsson (18-7) at a Fight Night event on May 21. However, on Thursday, Ben Rothwell’s release by the UFC was reported by both MMA Fighting, citing promotion officials, and UFC Roster Watch, an automated service that monitors the promotion’s athlete database.

No reason was given for “Big” Ben’s sudden removal from the roster. The heavyweight was coming off a loss to Marcos Rogerio de Lima, but had submitted Chris Barnett one fight prior to that. The 40-year old, who previously competed for Affliction and the IFL, is 3-2 in his past five fights.

The unexpected turn of events now leaves Gustafsson without an opponent, although there should be ample time to find one. “The Mauler” made his debut as a heavyweight in July of 2020, but wound up submitted by Fabricio Werdum. He has not fought since. The Swedish fighter had been booked against Paul Craig in a light heavyweight bout last September, but withdrew from the fight due to injury.

For the time being at least, it appears that Gustafsson will remain part of the heavyweight division.

The post UFC: Sudden Release of “Big” Ben Rothwell Leaves Gustafsson In Need of Opponent appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Tuesday, Cageside Press confirmed that Alexander Gustafsson (18-7) will face Rothwell at the UFC’s Fight Night card on May 21, 2022. FrontKick Online was first to report the news.

Gustafsson, a two-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger, made his debut as a heavyweight in July of 2020 against Fabricio Werdum. The fight did not go his way, with the big Swede submitted by the former heavyweight champ inside of a round. That contest, his first since ending a brief retirement, was his only bout of 2020. He did not fight at all in 2021.

Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame — Fight Wing in 2020 alongside Jon Jones (the ceremony did not take place until the following year), Gustafsson is best remembered for his rivalry with “Bones.” He even attempted a return to the 205lb division last year, but was forced to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Paul Craig in September, citing injury.

Ben Rothwell will enter the fight looking to bounce back from a TKO loss to Marcos Rogerio de Lima in November. Overall, the former IFL champ is 3-2 in his last five fights, with wins over Chris Barnett, Stefan Struve, and Ovince Saint Preux.

The UFC’s May 21 Fight Night event is expected to be headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout featuring Holly Holm against Ketlen Vieira. The card so far breaks down as follows:

• Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira
• Alexander Gustafsson vs. Ben Rothwell
• Chase Hooper vs. Felipe Colares

The post UFC: Alexander Gustafsson Set for May 21 Heavyweight Bout Against “Big” Ben Rothwell appeared first on Cageside Press.

Swedish outlet Front Kick was the first to report the news that two-time title challenger Gustafsson will make his return light heavyweight against No. 12 ranked Paul Craig.

Gustafsson (18-7) returns to the weight class that he made his name in when he returns to the octagon. He was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut, getting submitted by Fabrício Werdum in less than three minutes last year on ‘Fight Island.’ “The Mauler” will be in must-win mode as he is on a three-fight skid and hasn’t won since 2017 when he knocked out current No. 1 contender Glover Texiera and then proposed to his wife.

Craig (15-4-1) kept his 100% finish rate intact when he dislocated Jamahal Hill’s elbow last month at UFC 263. The “Bearjew” is riding a four-fight win streak and is on the brink of breaking into the top 10. However, he will be putting his No. 12 ranking on the line as he welcomes Gustafsson back to the division.

No location, venue, or broadcast details have yet to be announced by the promotion for UFC’s September 4 event, although it is heavily rumored to be UFC’s return to London.

The September 4 fight card now includes the following reported bouts:

• Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Modestas Bukauskas
• Nathaniel Wood vs. Jonathan Martinez
• Alexander Gustafsson vs. Paul Craig

While not announced, the entire August 14 card will probably move to this card, including Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson and others.

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Darren Till

Till’s in a weird place in the middleweight division. Only two fights in and at just 1-1, he just had a razor close fight with a former champion and a number one contender. The whole loser-fights-a-loser mentality probably shouldn’t apply here, but we know how the UFC matchmaking can be. So if we’re hell bent on giving him someone off of a loss, how about the loser of Yoel Romero and Uriah Hall next month? I like this especially if it’s Romero, but both fighters present interesting style match ups for Till.

Darren Till’s Next Fight: Loser of Romero/Hall

Alexander Gustafsson

It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if Gustafsson walked away here. He did, after all, already retire once and after a quick submission loss, I’m not sure where his head it at. If he still is planning on putting together a run, I’d like to see him get a more classic welcoming to the heavyweight division with somebody who has a bit less experience. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a style match-up that allowed Gustafsson to show what his striking looks like at heavyweight. For those reasons I’m going with Yorgan de Castro who seemed to have all the makings of a hot prospect before his ugly loss to Greg Hardy.

Alexander Gustafsson’s Next Fight: Yorgan de Castro

Marina Rodriguez

After a four-fight unbeaten streak, Rodriguez was given the top ten opponent she had been looking for. Now that she fell short in that endeavor, it’s time for her to be the step up for a fellow fighter. Yan Xiaonan has quietly rattled off five straights wins at strawweight and deserves to see what she’d do against a striker like Rodriguez. Not only does this make sense from a rankings perspective, but just imagine the striking output between these two.

Marina Rodriguez’s Next Fight: Yan Xiaonan

Rhys McKee

Despite the one sided optics of the fight, McKee is very deserving of his UFC contract. His debut was far from standard in the way it was rushed and the prospect they had him set up with. For his second fight, it would make all the sense in the world to give him a more typical debut opponent. Anthony Ivy would do just fine in this case. It would be a better check on McKee’s ability to avoid the ground game and allow us to see him work his hands in a more comfortable situation.

Rhys McKee’s Next Fight: Anthony Ivy

Nicholas Dalby

A win over Cowboy Oliveira in his return to the octagon seemed to have Dalby short tracked for the top. A submission loss to Jesse Ronson undoubtedly undoes a lot of that. However, knowing the talent is there, it isn’t time for a big step back. Let’s pair him with another fighter who was looking hot before he got stopped by a late replacement – Alex Morono. Both guys come to bang and Morono would be a fun test to see Dalby’s defensive wrestling as well.

Nicholas Dalby’s Next Fight: Alex Morono

The post What’s Next: UFC Fight Island 3 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

The curiosity factor for Alexander Gustafsson’s heavyweight debut at UFC Fight Island 3 was high, to say the least. Long have many MMA fans believed that Jon Jones, the Swede’s chief rival and troubled light heavyweight champion, should move up in weight. Gustafsson beating him to the punch, and coming out of retirement to do so, had fan interest piqued. Even more so given Gustafsson was facing former heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum for his first foray in the weight class.

A big performance from “The Mauler” could give birth to an instant contender. But would a bad one send him back into retirement, or down to 205lbs again?

The first round began with a big leg kick from Werdum. Gustafsson dodged a hook from Werdum and connected on a nice combination inside the pocket. Gustafsson stuffed a takedown attempt from Werdum, but after a scramble, Werdum takes the back, transitions to an armbar, and after some patience, gets the submission! Over in half a round.

Vai Cavalo! 🇧🇷@FabricioWerdum submits Gus in RD 1!

📺 The card finishes next on @ESPN / E+ pic.twitter.com/5O336mRWBW

— UFC (@ufc) July 26, 2020

Obviously not the return the formerly retired Gustafsson was looking for — but a return to form for ex-champ Werdum.

Official Result: Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson by submission (armbar), Round 1, 2:30

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Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC)

Welterweight (170lbs): 3-2 (UFC), The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashers Winner

Middleweight (185lbs): 8-1 (UFC), Former UFC Middleweight Champion

Robert Whittaker began his UFC career back in 2012 after competing on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes season. His TUF run was at welterweight, a season that pitted Australian fighters against fighters from the United Kingdom. Robert Whittaker ended up winning the entire tournament and entered the UFC at 170lbs at the end of 2012.

Whittaker’s career at welterweight in the UFC was very average, as he amassed a 3-2 record while beginning to see the negative effects of his excessive weight cut. Whittaker moved up to middleweight in 2014 and ripped off an absolutely amazing 6 fight win streak, including 4 first or second-round finishes on his way to the vacant middleweight title. Whittaker took out one of the largest, most intimidating middleweights in Yoel Romero, not once, but twice, successfully capturing and defending the belt against the Cuban. A great showing for a man that had won the TUF tournament and began his UFC career at a whole 15lbs lighter. Whittaker has had one of the most successful transitions to a new weight class in the UFC. And even though Whittaker lost his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya last October, he can get right back into the mix with a win on July 25 at UFC Fight Island 3.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC Fight Island 3 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the UFC, that is. As to in what division his future lies, well, that’s another matter.

“The Mauler” — who had three shots at the UFC’s light heavyweight title — spoke to media outlets including Cageside Press in a virtual media scrum ahead of UFC Fight Island 3. That card will witness his return, and his promotional debut in the heavyweight division. Against former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.

Win or lose, “I’m here to stay,” Gustafsson (18-6) said Tuesday. The decision to return came “after a month or two, around about that” after his retirement, he recalled. “Then I wanted to go back to training, and I can’t train without motivation. So now I’m here.”

But as a heavyweight. And against a former champion, one he called a legend. On the move up, Gustafsson suggested that “it was the right time for me to move up one weight class, because I’m pretty heavy, and pretty big. So it felt really good to step up one weight class and try out the heavyweight division. Then I got the fight with Werdum, and it was just something that fit me very well and I felt very excited about.”

Whether he sticks around the UFC’s largest weight class, or drops back to 205lbs, is something he’ll settle on later, however. “I’ll challenge myself, and then see how it goes,” said Gustafsson. “I will win of course, but let’s see how I feel about it.”

As for what he expects to weight come fight night, “about 107, 108 kilos,” he predicted. At least 235lbs, in other words.

Alexander Gustafsson meets Fabricio Werdum on the main card of UFC Fight Island 3 (UFC on ESPN 14) this Saturday, July 25. The card airs live on ESPN (TSN in Canada).

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