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Alexander Gustafsson (born 15 January 1987) is a Swedish professional mixed martial artist. Gustafsson currently competes in the
light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...
division for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
(UFC). Gustafsson spent a major part of his MMA career in the
Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...
division of the UFC, where he became a top contender and fought for the title three times. He is often regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists never to have won a UFC Championship.


Mixed martial arts career


Early career

Gustafsson started training MMA in 2006, and before he trained in
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
which he started when he was around 10 years old. He won the national championship (youth-junior level) in 2003, at the age of 16. In 2008–2009 he made a quick return to boxing, winning some amateur tournaments in Sweden and defeating the Swedish heavyweight boxing champion in an amateur fight. He was set to compete in the national championship event the following year, 2010, for which he was a big favorite to win. However, his newly awakened boxing career ended when he signed with the UFC in September 2009. Gustafsson also competed in the martial arts form of shootfighting, before starting his professional MMA career, with a Shoot record of 5–1, with 4 wins by KO/TKO and 1 by decision, his only loss came by split decision against Mats Nilsson in the Kaisho Battle 2007 event. He also competed in a smaller amount of
submission wrestling Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through ...
and
submission grappling Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on Clinch fighting, clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a Submis ...
matches, in which he was also undefeated. Before signing with the UFC, Gustafsson fought mostly in smaller promotions in Sweden and other parts of Europe. By 2009, he had racked up a perfect pro-record of 8–0, with 6 wins coming by the way of KO/TKO, 1 by submission and 1 by decision. The most notable victories in his first 8 fights came against German prospect Florian Muller, who he defeated by
TKO TKO may refer to: Sports * Technical knockout, a professional fighting term * Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move Music Artists * TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington * TKO, a pop group led by Katie White Albums * ''TKO ...
in the second round on 13 March 2008. Later that year, after another TKO victory against Matteo Minonzio, he replaced his former opponent Florian Muller on less than 24 hours notice against Krzysztof Kulak, who at the time was a top prospect in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
, on 13 September 2008, at
KSW Extra KSW may refer to: * Kansas Southwestern Railway, a defunct United States railroad company * Kearny Street Workshop, a multidisciplinary arts organization in San Francisco, California * '' Keeping Scientology Working'', an internal document for Sc ...
. He won the fight knocking Kulak down several times, earning the unanimous decision victory. In his last fight before he was signed to the UFC, Gustafsson fought European veteran Vladimir Shemarov on 30 May 2009 at Superior Challenge 3. He won the fight by
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
in the first round.


Ultimate Fighting Championship

Gustafsson made his UFC debut against Jared Hamman on 14 November 2009, at UFC 105. Gustafsson dropped Hamman with a straight right punch and won the fight via KO at 0:41 in the first round. Gustafsson's next fight was against Phil Davis on 10 April 2010, at UFC 112. Gustafsson lost the fight via
submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
due to an anaconda choke. Prior to this, Gustafsson showed good
wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
and takedown defense which
Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC color commentator, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. He hosts ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, polit ...
praised him for. After being softened up by brutal elbows, Gustafsson was sprawled by Davis and was forced to tap out at 4:55 of the first round. Gustafsson faced MMA and
kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, gen ...
veteran Cyrille Diabaté at UFC 120. In advance of this bout, Gustafsson traveled to
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, to train with Alliance MMA for a month. At the training camp, Gustafsson trained with notable UFC fighters like his former opponent Phil Davis, Dominick Cruz,
Brandon Vera Brandon Michael Vera (born October 10, 1977), or also known by his ring name as The Truth, is a Filipino-American (of Italian heritage) retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavywe ...
,
Joey Beltran José Felipe Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He currently comp ...
and Travis Browne. He also took
grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling is ...
tips from Davis and worked to improve his strength and speed. After dominating the first round in stand up as well as on the ground, dropping Diabate twice, Gustafsson defeated Diabate via submission ( rear-naked choke) in the second round. In post-fight interviews Gustafsson said that the main reason for his success against Diabate was the time that he spent at Alliance MMA in the training camp. Gustafsson won his second straight UFC fight on 27 February 2011, at
UFC 127 ''UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in Nort ...
where he defeated James Te-Huna in the first round by submission due to a rear-naked choke. Gustafsson was expected to face Vladimir Matyushenko on 6 August 2011, at UFC 133. But Matyushenko pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by Matt Hamill. In the 2nd round, Gustafsson dropped Hamill with a straight punch followed by two uppercuts, finishing Hamill by TKO, with punches and elbows from the mount. Hamill announced his retirement shortly after the fight. Gustafsson eventually faced Matyushenko on 30 December 2011, at UFC 141. He defeated Matyushenko by TKO in the first round after dropping him with a jab and finishing with punches on the ground. After the win UFC President
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
said that a first round finish of Matyushenko, who he referred to as a gatekeeper at the time, made it clear that Gustafsson was a force to be reckoned with and that he would get a step up in competition for his next fight. Gustafsson was expected to face Antônio Rogério Nogueira on 14 April 2012, at
UFC on Fuel TV 2 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 2'' or ''UFC: Sweden'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 14, 2012 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Backg ...
in Stockholm, Sweden, but Nogueira pulled out of the fight due to an injury and was replaced by
Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known ...
. Gustafsson was able to effectively use his reach and jab to largely outstrike Silva, scoring points by knocking him down early in the first round as well as scoring a takedown in the second. His dominant performance earned him the
unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...
(30–27, 30–27, and 29–28) victory. Just like after his previous win, it was again clear that Gustafsson was in need of another step up in competition, and UFC President
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
said that his next fight would be against someone in the top of the rankings. Gustafsson faced
Maurício Rua Maurício Milani Rua (; born 25 November 1981), also known as Shogun, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former model. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former ...
on 8 December 2012, at UFC on Fox 5. He was able to use his reach and powerful striking, as well as his wrestling, from which he was able to land six takedowns, to defeat Rua via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–26). It was said that a victory over 'Shogun' Rua would likely ensure Gustafsson of a shot at the title in his next fight, but since he didn't want to sit out of competition for a long time to wait for his chance, Gustafsson said he was fine with having another fight before that could happen. Gustafsson was expected to face former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi on 6 April 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 9 and it was said that a victory would ensure him of a shot at the title. However, on 30 March it was revealed that Gustafsson had suffered a cut during a sparring session. On 2 April it was announced by Swedish MMA Federation that he was not cleared to compete. Gustafsson was replaced by UFC newcomer Ilir Latifi, one of his main training partners.


Title shot

Gustafsson earned a title shot and faced UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
on 21 September 2013 in the main event at UFC 165. Despite being looked at as a big underdog coming into this fight, Gustafsson challenged Jones unlike any previous contender, taking the champion down for the first time in his career, picking him apart on the feet and cutting Jones badly above the right eye early in the fight. Jones later rallied, and dominated the final rounds and in the end out landed Gustafsson in strikes, 137–114. Gustafsson ultimately lost via unanimous decision. After the fight, before being sent to hospital, Jones said Gustafsson had given him the hardest fight of his career. Gustafsson and Jones were awarded the "Fight of the Night" bonus award for their performances. The fight was critically acclaimed by mixed martial arts media outlets and fighters, with many considering it to be the greatest light heavyweight title fight of all time. The fight was later named 2013 Fight of the Year by World MMA Awards along with various other major MMA media outlets, Gustafsson also won the prize for 2013 International Fighter of the Year. On 8 March 2020, it was announced that the fight will be inducted to UFC Hall of Fame's Fight Wing on 9 July. It was indicated by Dana White that he was interested in an immediate Jones vs. Gustafsson rematch, without confirming anything. Gustafsson ended up not getting the rematch after it was confirmed that Jones would be defending his belt next against Glover Teixeira. It was said that the next opponent for Gustafsson was not confirmed yet, but that the fight would take place in Sweden or England in early 2014. It was also said that Gustafsson, if victorious in his next fight, would get another shot at the title. When asked about all this, Gustafsson said that his main goal was to get another shot at the title and that he's happy to fight anybody to get there, he also said that as long as Jon Jones still is the champion, he will be the main target.


Post title fight

At a post-fight press conference in Manchester, Dana White said that Gustafsson would be facing Antônio Rogério Nogueira on 8 March 2014, at
UFC Fight Night 37 ''UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 37'') was a mixed martial arts event held on March 8, 2014, at The O2 Arena in London, England. The event was shown live in the UK on Channel 5 and BT Sport and in the ...
. He also stated that if both he and Jones won their next bouts, then the rematch would be set for the title. However, just 5 days after the fight was announced news came that Nogueira had to withdraw from the bout due to an injury. Later, reports came that said that Nogueira had never agreed to take the fight against Gustafsson at all. Instead, he faced undefeated striker Jimi Manuwa at the same event. He won the fight by TKO after dropping Manuwa with a knee followed by a flurry of punches in the clinch, in the second round, handing Manuwa the first loss of his career. His performance earned him both ''Fight of the Night'' and ''Performance of the Night'' awards. On 27 April 2014, UFC President
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
confirmed that a rematch with the champion Jon Jones would be next for Gustafsson, and stated the possibility of the match taking place in a stadium in Sweden on pay-per-view. On 24 May 2014, it was indicated that the rematch would take place in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
on 30 August 2014, at UFC 177. The statement, and the time and venue, wasn't official however, since Gustafsson was the only one who still had agreed to take the fight. On 2 June, the fight was still on hold, and UFC President
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
explained the situation as: "Jones doesn't want to fight Gustafsson". On 5 June 2014, the UFC confirmed that the Jones/Gustafsson rematch would take place on 27 September 2014, at UFC 178. At first, the fight was expected to take place in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
, but the venue was later changed to Las Vegas. However, Gustafsson was forced to pull out of the bout due to a torn meniscus and was replaced by fellow top contender Daniel Cormier. At first, a fight against Anthony Johnson was reported to be in the makings, but the bout would later be scratched by the UFC. Gustafsson was briefly linked to a potential bout with Rashad Evans on 24 January 2015, at UFC on Fox 14. Subsequently, Evans announced he would not be ready during that time line as he was still rehabilitating a knee injury. Gustafsson instead faced Anthony Johnson at the event with the winner guaranteed a title shot against Jon Jones. Gustafsson lost the fight via TKO in the first round, marking the first time in his career that he had been stopped due to strikes. Gustafsson was expected to face Teixeira on 20 June 2015, at UFC Fight Night 69. However, it was announced that Gustafsson had been removed from the card due to an injury in his back. In June 2015, news then came that Gustafsson was about to be booked against Daniel Cormier who recently had won the vacant title. At first, the matchup seemed to be set for 5 September 2015, at UFC 191. However, Cormier wasn't able to make it due to an injury and the fight was delayed. The title fight against Cormier took place on 3 October 2015, at
UFC 192 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
. It was a back and forth fight that saw Gustafsson land two takedowns in round 2 and also drop Cormier by a knee and following punches in the end of round 3. He lost the fight by split decision. Their performance earned both fighters the ''Fight of the Night'' awards. In interviews after the fight, Cormier told reporters that the fight with Gustafsson had been the hardest of his career. As a result of the injuries Gustafsson sustained during the fight, a preliminary medical suspension was set for him until April. Gustafsson next fought
Jan Błachowicz Jan Maciej Błachowicz (; born 24 February 1983) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Cham ...
on 3 September 2016, at
UFC Fight Night 93 ''UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 93'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 3, 2016, at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Background After ...
. He won the fight by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–27). A pairing with Antônio Rogério Nogueira was scheduled for a third time and was expected to take place on 19 November 2016, at UFC Fight Night 100. However just days after the fight was announced, Gustafsson pulled out of the bout citing an injury. In turn, he was replaced by Ryan Bader. It was later revealed that he had sustained a back injury, which would sideline him from training and competition indefinitely. A rescheduled fight with Teixeira took place on 28 May 2017, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 109. After dominating the fight for four rounds, Gustafsson won the fight via knockout early in the fifth round. Their performance earned both fighters the ''Fight of the Night'' awards. After some time of hiatus from competition due to a shoulder injury, Gustafsson was first targeted to face Luke Rockhold, but Rockhold would have to pull out of the fight, citing an injury. Gustafsson was instead scheduled to face Volkan Oezdemir on 4 August 2018 at UFC 227. However, on 19 July 2018 it was reported that Oezdemir was removed from the bout due to a broken nose. It was reported that on 22 July 2018, Gustafsson also pulled out from the bout due to injury. It was later revealed that Gustafsson had suffered a hamstring injury, and that the UFC was hoping for him to be back before the end of the year. On 10 October, it was announced that Gustafsson would have a rematch with the returning Jon Jones on 29 December 2018 at UFC 232 for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. Gustafsson suffered an injured groin during the fight, as a result of a knee from Jones.


Retirement

Gustafsson next faced Anthony Smith on 1 June 2019, in the main event at
UFC Fight Night 153 ''UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 153'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 11'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 1, 2019 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockhol ...
. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round. In his post-fight interview, Gustafsson announced his retirement from MMA by taking off his gloves, laying them on the floor of the octagon, and saying "The show is over, guys".


Return and move to heavyweight

Just a few months after Gustafsson's retirement from competition, rumors about a potential comeback were already in motion. On 7 November 2019, UFC President
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...
confirmed that Gustafsson was showing interest in returning. On 11 December 2019, Gustafsson competed in a grappling match in Sweden, against Swedish MMA prospect Anton Turkalj. He was victorious by points. In an interview on 3 April 2020, Gustafsson revealed that he was planning a training trip to the United States as soon as the travel restrictions due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
were lifted. He said that the outcome of this trip would determine if he was going to make a comeback or not. On 5 June 2020, Gustafsson announced his return to active MMA competition in the UFC as part of the heavyweight division. Gustafsson faced former UFC heavyweight champion Fabrício Werdum on 26 July 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14. He lost the fight via an armbar submission in round one. Gustafsson was scheduled to face Paul Craig in a light heavyweight bout on 4 September 2021, at
UFC Fight Night 191 ''UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 191 '' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 49'' and ''UFC Vegas 36'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 4, 2021 at the ...
. However, a week before the event, Gustafsson withdrew due to injury. Instead, Gustafsson was scheduled to remain at heavyweight and face Ben Rothwell on 21 May 2022. However, at the end of March, it was announced that Rothwell was released from the UFC roster.


Return to Light Heavyweight

Gustafsson faced
Nikita Krylov Nikita Andreyevich Krylov (born March 7, 1992) is a Ukrainian-Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for M-1 Global. As ...
at UFC Fight Night 208. He lost the fight via knockout early in the first round. Gustafsson was scheduled to face Ovince Saint Preux on 10 December 2022, at UFC 282. However, Gustafsson withdrew due to undisclosed reason and was replaced by Philipe Lins.


Training and fighting style

Gustafsson has been training in his native Sweden for the most part of his career, mainly at Allstar Training Center in Stockholm, which is run by Gustafsson himself (as a co-owner) and his head coach Andreas Michael, who is a former boxing coach and former amateur boxing coach for the Swedish Olympic team. Since his loss to Phil Davis at UFC 112, Gustafsson has also been training part-time with Davis and the others at Alliance MMA in
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
. After his title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 165, rumors came out that Gustafsson would leave Alliance to train only in Sweden, but Gustafsson and his team later came out saying that the rumors were false and that he would still mix up his training by spending time at Alliance as well as flying people in from the United States to train with him in Sweden for his future fights. Since then, Gustafsson has been training mainly in Sweden at Allstar Training Center, but the team has kept their close relationship with Alliance MMA in San Diego, having the two teams working together. Gustafsson and others from Allstar has travelled to train in San Diego in between fights. At numerous occasions, Alliance fighters has also travelled to Sweden to be a part of Gustafsson's training camps. Phil Davis was there helping him to prepare for Teixeira, in 2017. In addition to Gustafsson and his long time training partner Ilir Latifi, the Allstar team has also added other big names from the heavier divisions. Names such as Gustafsson's former opponent Jimi Manuwa (who moved there after his loss to Gustafsson) and Gökhan Saki. Gustafsson's fighting style is striking heavy. The strongest foundation comes from his boxing background. He uses good technique and fast movements with great footwork, to set up his combinations. He also uses his reach and mobility to circle and stay on the outside of his opponents range to find his own openings. During his UFC career he's also made big improvements in his wrestling and grappling. His offensive and defensive wrestling is now at a high level.


Personal life

In 2015, Gustafsson began a relationship with his present girlfriend, Moa. The couple has a daughter, Ava, born in May 2017. Later in May 2017, the couple became engaged inside the octagon right after Gustafsson defeated Teixeira in his hometown of
Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and most populous city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately 1 million people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 millio ...
. In September 2018, the couple had their second child, a son. He grew up in
Arboga Arboga () is a locality and the seat of Arboga Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,330 inhabitants in 2010. Overview The city of Arboga is known to have existed as a town since the 13th century but the area has been inhabited s ...
, a small town about hour drive west of Stockholm, together with his mother, step-father and four younger sisters. In interviews, his mother has said that she named him after
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
. He had a close relationship with his biological father, who lived in another city and was struggling with alcohol abuse. His biological father died a few weeks prior to Gustafsson's fight in London against Jimi Manuwa on 8 March 2014. In interviews after the fight he said he wanted to dedicate the victory to him. His nickname, "The Mauler", was given to him early in his career by his training partners, referring to his powerful striking, killer instinct and the reckless ways he finishes his fights. When asked about his idols in combat sports, Gustafsson always names MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko as his biggest inspiration coming in to the sport. Gustafsson is a Christian, and he had a close personal relationship with his pastor, Wiggo Carlsson, until his death in 2012. He is a long time friend, and former occasional training and sparring partner, of two-division boxing world champion Badou Jack. With both being Swedish and Gustafsson coming from a boxing background, their paths crossed on the amateur boxing scene in Stockholm in 2007–2008. He has often, both before and after his title fight at UFC 165, been compared to Swedish Heavyweight boxer
Ingemar Johansson Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson (; 22 September 1932 – 30 January 2009) was a Swedish professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1963. He held the world heavyweight title from 1959 to 1960, and was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside ...
who won the world title in 1959, focusing both on similarities and differences in their respective fighting styles. Gustafsson had a troubled youth which led to him ending up in fights often as a teenager, for which he was first convicted when he was 15. As an 18-year-old in 2005, he was sentenced to prison for
aggravated assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in cri ...
, having assaulted a brother and sister unprovoked together with two accomplices, after a night of drinking. He was released in 2006, turned his life around, got back into training, found MMA and moved to another city to leave the trouble behind him. He has said that it was getting involved in MMA that finally changed his life for the better. Before embarking on his fight career, Gustafsson had various other jobs. He was a construction worker and also worked security as a bouncer in night clubs. He also had a license to work as a divemaster for
scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chri ...
. It was after his fight with Phil Davis he quit his regular job to fully commit to MMA. Gustafsson played a role in the Swedish mainstream movie '' Johan Falk – Blood Diamonds'' which premiered in 2015. As of 2019, Gustafsson is a part owner at the Swedish mixed martial arts promotion AK Fighting Championship. In 2021, the Allstar Training Center, of which Gustafsson is a co-owner, is expanding and opening a second training location, this time in
Torrevieja Torrevieja (; ca-valencia, Torrevella ) is a seaside city and municipality located on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante, in the southern part of the Valencian Community, on the southeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain. Torrevieja ...
, Spain.


Championships and accomplishments


Mixed martial arts

*
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
**
UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In addition to the Ultimate Fighting ...
(Fight Wing) vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
at UFC 165
** Fight of the Night (Four times) vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
, Jimi Manuwa, Daniel Cormier and Glover Teixeira
** Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Jimi Manuwa **Fight of the Year (2013) vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
** Latest knockout in a light heavyweight 5 round fight (1:07 into round 5) vs. Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 109 * World MMA Awards ** 2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
on 21 September
** 2013 International Fighter of the Year *
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
**2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
( UFC 165)
*
Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...
**2011 All-Violence 3rd Team **2013 All-Violence 2nd Team **2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
( UFC 165)
* FoxSports.com **2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
( UFC 165)
* Yahoo! Sports.com **2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
( UFC 165)
* MMAJunkie.com **2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
( UFC 165)
**2015 October Fight of the Month vs. Daniel Cormier (
UFC 192 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
)
**2017 May Knockout of the Month vs. Glover Teixeira ( UFC Fight Night 109) * MMAFighting.com **2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
( UFC 165)
*MMAWeekly.com **2013 Fight of the Year (vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
) (UFC 165)
*Nordic MMA Awards – MMAviking.com **2011 Fighter of the Year **2012 Fighter of the Year **2013 Fight of the Year vs.
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
**2017 Knockout of the Year vs. Glover Teixeira **2019 Fighter of the Decade


Amateur boxing

* AIBA: Swedish Boxing Federation **2003 Swedish National Youth Light Heavyweight Champion **2008 KP Cup Boxing Heavyweight Tournament Winner **2009 KP Cup Boxing Heavyweight Tournament Winner **2009 Tensta Box Open Heavyweight Tournament Winner


Submission grappling

*Swedish Submission Wrestling Federation **2008 Grapplers Paradise 4 −99 kg (−218 lbs) tournament winner


Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–8 ,
Nikita Krylov Nikita Andreyevich Krylov (born March 7, 1992) is a Ukrainian-Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for M-1 Global. As ...
, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:07 ,
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 , Fabrício Werdum , Submission (armbar) , UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 , Anthony Smith , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:38 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 ,
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
, KO (punches) , UFC 232 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:02 ,
Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 , Glover Teixeira , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 1:07 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 ,
Jan Błachowicz Jan Maciej Błachowicz (; born 24 February 1983) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Cham ...
, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 , Daniel Cormier , Decision (split) ,
UFC 192 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 , Anthony Johnson , TKO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Jimi Manuwa , TKO (knee and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:18 , London, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–2 ,
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC ...
, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 165 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 ,
Maurício Rua Maurício Milani Rua (; born 25 November 1981), also known as Shogun, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former model. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former ...
, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 ,
Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known ...
, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Vladimir Matyushenko , TKO (punches) , UFC 141 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Matt Hamill , TKO (punches and elbows) , UFC 133 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:34 ,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,
James Te Huna James Te Huna (born 29 September 1981) is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship who has been called a pioneer of New Zealand mixed martial artists. He was the first Australian-based fighter to win a UFC fight on Australi ...
, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,
UFC 127 ''UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in Nort ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 , Sydney, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Cyrille Diabaté , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 120 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 , London, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Phil Davis , Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC 112 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Jared Hamman , KO (punches) , UFC 105 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, England , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Vladimir Shemarov , KO (punches) , Superior Challenge 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Pedro Quetglas , TKO (punches) , The Zone FC 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 , Gothenburg, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Krzysztof Kułak , Decision (unanimous) ,
KSW Extra KSW may refer to: * Kansas Southwestern Railway, a defunct United States railroad company * Kearny Street Workshop, a multidisciplinary arts organization in San Francisco, California * '' Keeping Scientology Working'', an internal document for Sc ...
, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Dabrowa Górnicza, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Matteo Minonzio , TKO (punches) , The Zone FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 , Gothenburg, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Florian Muller , TKO (knee to the body) , Fite Selektor , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:44 ,
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...
, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Farbod Fadami , TKO (punches) , The Zone FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mikael Haydari , TKO (punches) , FinnFight 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,
Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...
, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Saku Heikkola , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto Finland: Chicago Collision 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:42 ,
Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern ...
, Finland ,


Grappling record


Pay-per-view bouts


Filmography


See also

*
List of current UFC fighters This list of current UFC fighters records current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. , the UFC roster ...
*
List of male mixed martial artists This is a list of notable professional male mixed martial arts fighters in alphabetical order. __NOTOC__ A * Shamil Abdurakhimov - ( M-1, UFC) * Daichi Abe - ( UFC, Pancrase) * Hiroyuki Abe - (Shooto, KOTC, Cage Rage, DEEP, Pride) * ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafsson, Alexander 1987 births Living people Swedish male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Swedish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists utilizing shootfighting Swedish Christians Sportspeople from Stockholm Swedish male boxers Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters