A. Gustafsson (photo) was defeated at home, in front of 30 thousand fans. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The announcement that Alexander Gustafson would be the first challenger for the belt Daniel Cormier made many fans turn up their noses, as the Swede is coming off a defeat to Anthony Johnson in January. However, Gustafsson himself revealed that it was difficult to overcome the setback at home, which even made him reconsider his position as a professional athlete and think about ending his MMA career.
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“It was a very hard blow for me, for my career and personal life. It was a tough blow to take. I ended up losing the fight I couldn't lose. My motivation disappeared and that was the worst part, continuing to train without motivation. I just wanted to get away from everything, Stockholm, the press, everything. I didn’t even want to go to the gym, it was very difficult”, said Gustafsson, in an interview with the North American website “MMA Junkie”. “That was really bad. I've lost fights before, but this was the first one I couldn't lose. I should have won this fight, but I didn't. I thought about it, I thought about giving up the sport. I was really depressed after that fight,” he added.
On January 24th, almost 30 thousand fans went to the Tele2 Arena, in Stockholm to watch the fight that defined the next challenger for the light heavyweight title and ended up witnessing the brutal knockout suffered by Gustafsson against Anthony Johnson still in the first round. The setback, despite being notable, however, is now in the past, according to the Swede himself, who said he was just focusing on his new chance in the Octagon. “My motivation is at the top. I feel great, it's great to be back training and it's all been really fun. I'm just a really happy guy right now. I have fun doing anything related to MMA. I see this as a second chance and an opportunity for myself. I'm not even going to go into why this happened or why I should face it. I’m just enjoying this moment”, he assured.
At 28, Alexander Gustafson has a professional record of 16 wins and three losses. After putting on the toughest fight of the former light heavyweight champion's career, Jon Jones, in September 2013, Gustafsson was elevated to stardom and, despite alternating victories and defeats in his last appearances, he was confirmed as the next challenger for the title, in a duel against Daniel Cormier, on a date and location yet to be defined.
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