About Alexander Gustafsson
Division III wrestler Matt Hamill won the NCAA national championship. But in his fight with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 133, he was totally unable in getting a takedown. In the second round, Gustafsson really started to rely on his signature striking techniques. He landed kicks, a powerful left hand, and then right uppercuts on demand, eventually knocking the former TUF contestant to the ground. Then, ground and pound put a stop to it.
Date of Birth: Alexander Gustafsson was born on January 15, 1987, in Arboga, Sweden.
Training Camp, Fighting Organization, and Nickname:
Gustafsson trains with a number of camps, including Stockholm Shoot, Gladius MMA, and Alliance MMA, as is the case with the majority of top-level MMA competitors today. His ring moniker is The Mauler, and he competes for the UFC.
Learning Martial Arts
When Gustafsson was about ten years old, he began boxing training. Prior to switching to MMA in 2006, he was able to reach the top 10 in Europe’s boxing rankings and defeat the Swedish champion in amateur competition.
In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Gustafsson presently has a purple belt.
Beginnings of MMA
On November 17, 2007, Gustafsson made his MMA debut at a SHOOTO event in Lahti, Finland. He used a rear naked choke to defeat Saku Heikola. Before making his UFC debut, he actually won his first eight matches, with seven of those victories coming by means of submission.
When The UFC Calls
On November 14, 2009, Gustafsson made his UFC debut at UFC 105 against Jared Hamman, a former EliteXC competitor. Gustafsson demonstrated his high caliber striking by KO’ing Hamman in the opening round. But at UFC 112, he faced off against rising MMA star and former national champion wrestler Phil Davis. During the match, Gustafsson found himself outmatched on the ground and ultimately lost by anaconda choke.
Combative Style
It cannot be overstated how explosive and athletic Gustafsson is in the ring. Additionally, he has excellent hands that he uses well because of his expertise in boxing. The truth is, though, that he also excels at kicking, making him a powerful, athletic, and versatile striker.
Over time, Gustafsson significantly improved his wrestling. In fights, he excels at executing the rear naked choke.
Some of Alexander Gustafsson’s early and notable MMA triumphs:
Vladimir Matyushenko is defeated by Gustafsson at UFC 141 via first-round TKO: Recall Gustafsson’s background in boxing? Matyushenko will, for sure. In the end, a lightning-fast jab floored Matyushenko, which resulted in some ground combat and a stoppage. Gustafsson undoubtedly earned some respect from the MMA community by defeating Matyushenko, a well-known opponent and skilled wrestler.
At UFC 133, Gustafsson knocks out Matt Hamill in the second round: Keep in mind that Phil Davis, a highly skilled wrestler, was the opponent in Gustafsson’s lone MMA defeat prior to the Hamill fight. Gustafsson demonstrated that he could maintain his standing in the face of skilled grapplers by thwarting Hamill’s takedown attempts. Hamill himself was a former Division III national champion.
At UFC 120, Gustafsson defeated Cyrille Diabate by rear-naked choke in the second round: Diabate has a reputation for being a powerful striker with a long reach. So many people thought he would prevail against Gustafsson on his feet going into their UFC 120 match. Wrong. Instead, the Swedish fighter dominated the stand-up portion of the battle, repeatedly knocking Diabate to the ground in round one before finishing him in round two.
