Dana White Believes Gustafsson Is One Of The Best In The World
Former No. 1-contender and title challenger Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson has had a rough road as of late. After famously pushing reigning champion Jon Jones to his limits in their 2013 title fight at UFC 165, “The Mauler” wasn’t awarded the immediate rematch many thought he had deserved. He then starched Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 37 last March to earn a rematch with Jones, which was scheduled for UFC 178 until Gustafsson was forced out due to injury.
Things got even worse when the Swedish superstar was finally given his chance to truly earn his long-awaited rematch. Meeting the now surging Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the main event of January’s UFC on FOX 14 in Sweden, Gustafsson was shockingly knocked out in the first round in front of his native country, awarding the title shot to Johnson.
Getting brutally knocked out in front of his family and friends did no good to Gustafsson’s mental state, and reports surfaced that the Swede had almost retired after the bout. At only 28 years old, “The Mauler” definitely has some time left in him, and he has now signed on to face another former title challenger in Glover Teixeira in June in Berlin.
A win would likely put Gus right back in the title race at 205-pounds and UFC president Dana White is glad that he has decided to keep fighting. Speaking on a recent edition of the Download, White understood “The Mauler’s thoughts of retirement, but also stated that Gustafsson is undoubtedly still one of the best in the world:
“You have to look at Gustafsson – to lose in front of 30,000 of his countrymen, and he’s been waiting for that opportunity to fight Jon Jones again for so long. The guy has had such a rough road back,” White said. “I completely understand (him thinking about retirement), but I’m glad to see that he’s snapped back. He’s one of the best guys in the world.”
While the talent is clearly there, Gustafsson will have to put the devastating loss behind him. Can the Swede bounce back in Germany?
