Jeni Watson
Swedish mixed martial artist Alexander Gustafsson competes professionally. For the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Gustafsson is presently a heavyweight competitor. In the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division, where he rose to prominence and competed three times for the title, Gustafsson spent the majority of his MMA career. He is frequently recognized as one of the top mixed martial artists who has not yet captured the UFC Championship.
About Alexander Gustafsson | Family and Education
In a little village called Arboga, two hours drive from Stockholm, Alexander Lars-Ake Gustafsson was born to his parents. Along with his four younger sisters, he grew.
Since his parents divorced while he was a little child, he was reared by his mother Eleonora Gustafsson, and his stepfather.
Alexander had a tight relationship with his biological father, even though he lived in a different city. His biological father battled alcoholism in the past.
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He had little interest in studies since he was young and always yearned to participate in athletics.
He tried every sport, including hockey, football, and welding, before realizing that the boxing ring was where he belonged.
Starting a Career
Due to his high level of tension during his teenage years, Gustafsson frequently engaged in fights without any supervision.
He became involved in an amateur scene for the first time when he was 15 years old.
He was later imprisoned as an 18-year-old juvenile for an aggravated assault on his sister and brother that occurred after drinking.
After his discharge in 2006, his friend Cum Fan suggested he join MMA.
He came across the Swedish MMA pioneer August Wallen’s training facility. He, therefore, left the city and his problems behind to pursue MMA.
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Stumbling Block
Even though Alexander Gustafsson has been boxing since 1997, his first national championship (junior level) came in 2003.
His official MMA training, nevertheless, didn’t begin until late 2006. Before starting his fighting career, he worked as a construction worker, bar bouncer, and scuba divemaster among other vocations.
Following his victory over Saku Heikola in 2007, Gustafsson made his MMA debut. He returned to boxing in a hurry between 2008 and 2009, winning an amateur Swedish heavyweight boxing match.
The next year, in 2010, his freshly founded boxing career was on the verge of collapse due to his inability to participate in a national championship contest.
Games Before UFC
Gustafsson first started competing in the martial art discipline known as shootfighting.
He had a 5-1 shot record, with 4 victories coming by knockout and 1 by decision. He was defeated by Mats Nilsson in the 2007 Kaisho Battle competition thanks to a split vote.
Second, he participated in tiny Submission Wrestling and Grabbing matches throughout Sweden and several regions of Europe.
He stayed out of all of the matches that were going on. However, his most notable triumph occurred on March 13, 2008, when he knocked out German prospect Florian Muller in the second round.
He replaced his previous opponent Florian Muller with Poland’s top prospect Krzysztof Kulak at the end of the same year, followed by the victory over Matteo Minonzio.
Despite the short notice, Gustafsson defeated Krzysztof Kulak by using multiple knockouts to secure enough unanimous decisions.
On May 30, 2009, in Superior Challenge 3, he played the European Veteran Vladimir Shemarov. He was easily successful in the first round thanks to a knockout.
He was 8-0 in professional fights by the year 2009, winning 6 via KO/TKO, 1 via submission and 1 via decision.
Professional Life and Career
After defeating Jared Hamman in the opening round with a straight right punch, Alexander made his UFC debut in November 2009.
His first defeat, however, came against Phil Davis at UFC 112 in April 2010 as a result of an Anaconda choke.
Gustafsson defeated MMA and kickboxing veteran Cyrille Diabate at UFC 120 after a half-year absence from Phil by choke in round 2.
He attributed his accomplishment to the months he spent in the training camp at Alliance MMA.
Similarly, He let UFC fighters Phil Davis, Dominick Cruz, Brandon Vera, Joey Beltran, and Travis Browne train alongside him. He practiced improvising his strength and speed with them.
Gustafsson Wins in the UFC
The victories of Alexander Gustafsson, noted below, date back to the year 2011:
- February 21, 2011, = At UFC 127, Alexander faced James Te Huna for the first time. In the first round, he was defeated through submission.
- July 6, 2011, = He withdrew out of the fight against Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 133. Gustafsson then fought Matt Hamill, defeating him in the second round with a straight punch, a series of uppercuts, and a knockout.
- December 30, 2011, = Alexander finally found himself in a fight with Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 141. He won the match after knocking out his opponent in the first round with punches and jabs to the ground.
- 14 April 2012= At UFC on FuelTV 2 in Sweden, Gustafsson anticipated competing against Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Thiago Silva, however, took his place because of Nogueria’s injury. Then, Alexander outstruck the opponent effectively, knocking him out in the first and second rounds. He was unanimously declared the winner (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28).
- Gustafsson agreed to face Mauricio Rua at UFC on Fox 5 on December 8th. He defeated Rua with ease after securing six takedowns on the opponent by using all of his wrestling skills and strong attacks.
- Finally, on April 6, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 9, Gustafsson faced off against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi. He had a wound, though, from his sparring season, which rendered him invisible. Alexander was thus replaced by UFC rookie Ilir Latifi, who was one of his primary training partners.
2013 World Fighter of the Year
Alexander Gustafsson won the championship after his fight with UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on September 21, 2013.
Gustafsson challenged Jones in the main event of UFC 165 just like he would any other opponent.
Even though Jon Jones suffered a nasty cut over his right eye during the fight, he still controlled the final moments in the ring.
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Heavy hits from Jon signaled the end of the fight, but he had to be rushed to the hospital urgently. The match, according to Jones, was one of the toughest ever.
According to some, this particular contest is the best light heavyweight encounter of all time.
It was given the “World MMA Award” and even the title of “2013 Fight of The Year.” Both Jonas and Gustafsson received the “Fight of the Night” bonus for their contributions.
37th UFC Fight Night
Alexander Gustafsson had the opportunity to compete against Antônio Rogério Nogueira on March 8, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 37.
Nogueira quickly clarified that he never wanted to fight Gustafsson after five days of match fixation.
Thus, Nogueira was replaced by striker Jimi Manuwa in the same event when he suffered the biggest defeat.
Alexander beat Manuwa with a barrage of punches and a knockout to win both the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night prizes.
Gustafsson, who had lost his biological father a week earlier, had earlier dedicated his triumph to him during the interview.
Jonathan Jones versus Alexander Gustafsson
The renowned combatant’s Alexander Gustafsson and Jon Jones were interested in rematching, according to UFC President Dana White.
The potential of the rematch in Sweden Stadium was immediately mentioned by Dana White on April 21, 2014.
Later, on May 24, 2014, Dana White set aside August 30, 2014, for the rematch at UFC 177 in Las Vegas.
The match’s time and location, however, turned out to be unreliable. On June 2, 2014, the bout was still suspended, and Dana declared that Jon Jones “doesn’t want to fight Gustafsson.”
Following that, the UFC announced on 5 June 2014 that the rematch would take place on September 27 at UFC 178.
The fight, which was originally scheduled to take place in Toronto, was moved to Las Vegas.
In any case, Alexander was compelled to withdraw from the match because of his torn meniscus. Gustafsson was ultimately replaced by Daniel Cormier.
Walking tour (2015-2020)
On January 24, 2015, at UFC on Fox 14, Alexander Gustafsson was scheduled to face Rashad Evans, but he had to compete against Anthony Johnson.
Rashad was receiving treatment for his knee ailment at the moment, which would take some time.
The victor of the contest with Anthony Johnson would challenge Jon Jones for the championship.
Gustafsson, however, suffered the first strike stoppage of his career in the first round of the fight, losing by TKO.
At UFC Fight Night 69 on June 20, 2015, Alexander squared off against Glover Teixeira, but he was forced to withdraw because of a back ailment.
Gustafsson’s fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 191 on September 5, 2015, was then postponed as a result of his back ailment.
At UFC 192, Gustafsson and Cormier squared off on October 3, 2015.
Gustafsson was defeated by a split decision, however, he managed to score two takedowns in round two. Both competitors received Fight of the Night medals for their efforts.
Later, on September 3, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 93, Alexander faced Jan Bachowicz, which he won through unanimous decision.
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Highlights
At UFC Fight Night 100 on November 19, 2016, Ryan Bader took Gustafsson’s place against Antônio Rogério Nogueira.
Gustafsson was consequently excused from practice and contests while claiming a back injury.
On May 28, 2017, Alexander faced Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC Fight Night at 109.
Gustafsson, though, continued to dominate throughout the first four rounds and eliminated Glover at the start of the fifth. As a result, both competitors won Fight of the Night prizes.
Alexander was scheduled to meet Luke Rockhold following this specific match. But in the end, Luke had to withdraw due to an injury. Gustafsson, therefore, competed against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 227 on August 4, 2018.
However, Volkan withdrew from the match on July 19, 2018, after also reporting a nasal issue.
Sadly, Gustafsson injured his hamstring on July 22, 2018. Consequently, he too decided to forfeit the match.
He suffered a groin injury as a result of Jones’s knee, which sadly caused him to lose the fight via technical knockout in the third round.
Transitioning to Heavyweight and Retiring
At UFC Fight Night 153 on June 1, 2019, Gustafsson lost to Anthony Smith in a split decision. Gustafsson was forced to concede defeat in the fourth round when Smith applied his rear-naked choke technique.
The performance is finished, gentlemen, Alexander stated as he proclaimed his retirement from mixed martial arts, removed his gloves, placed them on the octagon floor, and declared.
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But only a few months into his retirement did rumors of his comeback start to spread. Gustafsson competed in a grappling fight against Swedish MMA prospect Anton Turkalj on December 11 in Sweden.
Gustafsson discussed his training vacation to America as the COVID 19 ban is lifted during the interview on April 3, 2020.
He also said that his return would depend on how the trip turned out.
On July 26, 2020, he took part in a battle against former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. Sadly, Alexander’s comeback to active MMA action in the UFC started with a defeat in the heavyweight class of UFC on ESPN 14.
“You can never be too cozy. Every step of the way, I have to keep challenging myself to become a better fighter.”
Training
Andreas Michael, Gustafsson’s head coach, oversees the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, where Gustafsson trains (former boxing coach and former amateur boxing coach for the Swedish Olympic team).
Gustafsson, though, has received instruction in his native Sweden virtually his whole professional life.
Additionally, since the match with Davis at UFC 112, Alexander had been working out part-time with Davis at Alliance MMA in San Diego, California.
At the time, there were reports that he would solely train in Sweden; however, Alexander later rejected these claims.
Alliance MMA and Allstars Training Center have had tight cooperation ever since. Warriors from both groups alternate training both sides.
Gustafsson’s Method of Combat
With his powerful blows and quick footwork, Alexander Gustafsson is effective. Additionally, he has a great variety of combinations thanks to his boxing background.
To discover his openings, he typically keeps himself out of his opponent’s reach. Not to mention that the UFC has benefited his wrestling, both offensively and defensively.
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Relationship Status
In 2015, Moa and Alexander Gustafsson, a UFC champion, started dating.
After defeating Glover Teixeira in his native Stockholm, Sweden, the wrestler later asked her to marry him inside the octagon.
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Eva, the couple’s first child, was born in May 2017, and Eston, their second, was born in September 2018.
Personal Life
Alexander Lars-Ake Gustafsson is the name that his mother, Eleonora Gustafsson, gave him in honor of Alexander the Great. His mother says she gave birth to the great one in him.
In a similar vein, Gustafsson’s training partners gave him the moniker “The Mauler” early in his career. It was about him due to his murderous propensity, which was let loose to recklessly finish the opponent.
Gustafsson was close friends with the pastor Wiggo Carlsson because of his devotion to Christianity. Nevertheless, the pastor passed away in early 2012.
The two-division boxing world champion Badou Jack has known Gustafsson for a very long time.
In 2007–2008, they got to know one another through amateur boxing in Stockholm. They have served as sporadic training and sparring partners ever since.
Additionally, Gustafsson starred in the 2015 release of the popular Swedish film Johan Falk – Blood Diamonds.
Tattoos
The tattoos in Alexander Gustafsson’s collection all have special significance for him.
Alexander Gustafsson has a dog face tattoo right above his left chest. He previously lost his pet dog, Ghostface.
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He also has a tattoo of a Red Indian Chief on his left shoulder. It has a bird’s crest on its head, which extends near his left collar bone.
Alexander also has a second tattoo on his body that is of the card Spade. His right upper arm bears a tattoo of it.
Net Worth | Alexander Gustafsson
Gustafsson’s estimated net worth as of 2022 is $400,000. The majority of his income comes from martial arts because he is a skilled MMA fighter.
A part-owner of the Swedish mixed martial arts organization AK Fighting Championship since 2019, Alexander Gustafsson.
His total career earnings are $733,000 in total. Alexander does, however, have sponsorship agreements with Reebok and Gatorade.
Body Measurement | Hair, Height
Alexander Gustafsson, the current UFC light heavyweight champion, has a 6’4″ height and an athletic build.
In particular, he has traditional Swedish blonde hair and a rectangular face shape with black eyes. Gustafsson smiles while his boxer’s ears swell, giving off a vintage Viking impression.
Social Media
As he publishes on social media every one to two days, Alexander Gustafsson is highly active. We may currently locate a novel called “The Mauler” that is written about him.
His Twitter and Instagram handles are @AlexTheMauler and @alexthemauler, respectively.
Quotes
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“Never content, I constantly strive to improve. Being a top athlete means that you are never content. You’ve reached your completion when you begin to feel contented and pleased.”
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“Even if you’re struggling to survive, keep a good attitude.”
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“I’m a fighter, and all I want to do is battle tougher, better opponents so that I can defeat them. Since my ultimate objective is to be ranked number one, I’ll take any opportunity to compete against a superior opponent.”
Frequently Asked Question:
Who is the combat sports hero of Alexander Gustafsson?
Fedor Emelianenko, a legend in mixed martial arts, is an inspiration to and a hero to Alexander Gustafsson.
Alexander Gustafsson is straight or gay?
Alexander Gustafsson is not gay, despite the widespread rumors to the contrary.
In 2020, what will Alexander Gustafsson be doing?
Regarding Alexander’s schedule, nothing is known. But because he made his comeback in a tough division, 2020 is reportedly going to be a busy year for him.
What kind of exercise and eating plan does Alexander Gustafsson follow?
As already stated, Alexander Gustafsson is a very health-conscious individual who puts a lot of effort into maintaining his physique. He claims to work on his strength and works out three to four times every day.
He dedicated himself to activities like pullups, jerks, and deadlifts. Alexander eats chicken, salad, and rice when he is in his training camp.
Quick Facts | Alexander Gustafsson
| Full Name | Alexander Lars-Ake Gustafsson |
| Date of Birth | 15 January 1987 (aged: 34 years old as of July 2021) |
| Birthplace | Arboga, Sweden |
| Nickname | The Mauler |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Father’s Name | N/A |
| Mother’s Name | Eleonora Gustafsson |
| Siblings | four younger sisters (names unknown) |
| Height | 6’4″ (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | MMA fighter |
| Team | Allstars Training Centre |
| Division | Light heavyweight (2007-2019)Heavyweight (2020) |
| Rank | A purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Active Years | 2007-present |
| Marital Status | Engaged |
| Wife’s Name | Moa |
| Children | Daughter (Eva) and a Son(Eston) |
| Residence | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Net Worth | $ 400 thousand |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Signed UFC Card, Posters |
| Last Update | June, 2022 |
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