Breaking: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Smith Headlines UFC Sweden
Two recent light heavyweight title contenders will look to get back on track when Alexande Gustafsson vs. Anthony Smith headlines the UFC’s return to Sweden.
According to a report from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, ‘The Mauler’ will meet ‘Lionheart’ in the main event of the June 1 event from Gustafsson’s native land in Stockholm:
Both fighters have verbally agreed to the headliner. The bout will go down from Ericsson Globe Arena and air on ESPN+.
Both top-ranked 205-pounder contenders are also coming off of recent losses to champion Jon Jones. Gustafsson was finished via TKO at December 29’s UFC 232, while “Lionheart” was able to go the distance while getting outlasted by “Bones” in the featured bout of last weekend’s UFC 235 from Las Vegas.
Gustafsson is a former three-time title contender who, unfortunately, may be becoming known more for his losses than his wins. He has lost twice to Jones and once to Daniel Cormier, albeit with two of the losses coming in close, classic wars. At this point, ‘The Mauler’s’ biggest wins may be over past-prime versions of Glover Teixeira and Shogun Rua.
Smith reinvented himself as a light heavy in 2018, knocking out Rashad Evans and Rua before submitting Volkan Oezdemir to earn his title shot with Jones. He’ll look to get back on track in hostile territory with another high-profile opponent.
