Alexander Gustafsson: I Never Lost Motivation
No. 2-ranked UFC light heavyweight contender Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson has fought for the UFC 205-pound strap twice, first at UFC at UFC 165 in 2013 against Jon Jones and second at UFC 192 against Daniel Cormier. In both fights, Gustafsson pushed his opponents to their limits, but he ultimately came up short on both occasions.
Prior to his split-decision loss to Cormier, “The Mauler” was steamrolled by No. 1-ranked Anthony Johnson in his home of Sweden which was unsurprisingly a tough loss to swallow. In fact, he was questioning his fighting future in the aftermath of the bout.
After 11 months away from the cage, Gustafsson is scheduled to return against Jan Blachowicz at tomorrow’s (Sat., September 3, 2016) UFC Fight Night 93 from Hamburg, Germany, and he claims that he never lost motivation in his craft:
“I never lost my motivation,” Gustafsson (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) told MMAjunkie on Thursday. “I don’t know why people are telling me that – like, oh, he’s going to quit.
“I just had two losses. I lost my fight just on the finish line with (Cormier). People cry. It’s a good blow, and it hits you hard, and people don’t understand the feeling or the thoughts you have in your mind when you’re training so hard for something and you lose it just on very small details. People don’t understand that.”
While he did admit that his motivation may have received a setback, “The Mauler” confirmed that fighting is his true passion:
“You say stuff, and people (say), ‘Oh, he’s going to quit.’ No,” Gustaffson said. “You don’t get it, man. You haven’t been in those shoes; you have no idea how it feels. So for me, of course, motivation gets a setback. But this is what I love to do.”
Do you expect Gustafsson to bounce back tomorrow?
