Gustafsson says the duel against Glover will be the “most important of his career”

Gustafsson faces Glover in May (Photo: Boris Streubel/UFC)

Without fighting since September 2016, Alexander Gustafson has been preparing to return to the octagon at UFC Stockholm, May 28th, against Glover Teixeira. The duel will also mark his return to Sweden, his homeland, the place where he suffered the most painful defeat of his career – he was knocked out by Anthony Johnson -, according to the fight itself. For this reason, Gustafsson considers the fight against the Brazilian to be the most important of his career.

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“I'm very excited for my next fight. It will be in Stockholm, at my house, and Glover is a very tough opponent. I can't wait to win another victory. I wanted to always be competing, but it wasn't possible. Now I have a difficult fight ahead of me, and I want it to start soon. In this sport you cannot lose. If you lose, you end up taking many steps back. You have to win every fight, no matter if your rival is ranked or not. That's why this fight is the most important of my career”, declared the fighter, during a conversation with journalists last Saturday, before the UFC London.

Asked about what he learned from the defeat against Johnson, Alexander assured that the mistakes will not be repeated, and said he was very excited to change this 'taboo'.

“I made a lot of mistakes in that fight. It wasn't my night, but I guarantee they won't happen again. I'm very excited for this fight, and I'll be as prepared as possible. I'm training and developing every day, and I'm going to win this fight. I have no doubt about that. Today I feel exactly how I should feel. I've been training every day – I love training. There is no doubt about not training or not competing. That's what I do, and that's what I love to do, and I'll keep doing it for a long time. I had some very tough fights, but I'm here to prove that I'm the best. I want rematches of these fights and I want these victories”, said the Swede, who concluded by revealing that he still intends to have a second fight against Jon Jones.

“I am always interested in facing Jon Jones. Let's have the second fight! After my victory in Stockholm, I would immediately accept a second fight against him. Let's go!"

Gustafsson, 30, has a record of 17 wins and four losses as a professional. The Swede is coming off a series of injuries and has had just two fights in the last 16 months. In his last performance, in September 2016, he hit Jan Blachowicz in the unanimous decision of the judges.