What can we expect from Alexander Gustafsson?
When asked about fighters contemplating retirement, UFC president Dana White has been known to say, with good reason, that if you’re thinking about quitting, you should probably get out.
White’s words come to mind as [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] makes his return from a year-long retirement. Had Gustafsson (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) stayed retired, the former three-time light heavyweight title challenger’s legacy as one of the best UFC competitors never to hold gold was set.
But Gustafsson (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) immediately regretted his choice, and now he’s back and competing at heavyweight, where takes on fading former champion [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]. “The Mauler” has made clear he’s not sold entirely on staying at heavyweight, but he plans to stick around either way.
So maybe we won’t get an answer as to how Gustafsson might fare in a newly interesting 205-pound class. But how he fares against Werdum (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC), who turns 43 next week and has not won since 2017, should tell us about his heavyweight future in a hurry.
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