Molly McCann owns two of six spinning elbow knockouts in UFC history after UFC Fight Night 208.
The UFC’s encore in London did not live up to the standards of its visit to the city earlier this year. Nine of the 14 bouts at UFC Fight Night 208 on Saturday at The O2 went to a decision.
The heavyweight main event capped off in disappointing fashion when [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into the fight, giving [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) a TKO victory.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 208.
Daniel Cormier thinks Alexander Gustafsson should hang up his gloves after losing at UFC Fight Night 208.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] should hang up his gloves after losing at UFC Fight Night 208.
Gustafsson (18-8 MMA, 10-8 UFC) suffered his fourth straight loss when he was knocked out by Nikita Krylov in the first round. The light heavyweight bout was part of the main card at The O2 in London.
Krylov was able to hurt Gustafsson early, but it was a short left hook followed by some ground and pound that turned the lights off for “The Mauler.” Cormier, a former foe, thinks Gustafsson no longer can take shots like he used to.
“Gustafson is done. He needs to walk away, these shots are hard but he used to eat those. The chin is gone, walk away my friend. We all have expiration date. One of the best to not have had a title.”
Gustafson is done. He needs to walk away, these shots are hard but he used to eat those. The chin is gone, walk away my friend. We all have expiration date. One of the best to not have had a title.
Gustafsson took Cormier to the brink in their light heavyweight title bout at UFC 192 in 2015. He also gave former light heavyweight king Jon Jones arguably the toughest test of his career in a historic battle at UFC 165. Gustafsson’s last octagon victories came more than five years ago over now ex-champs Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira.
Check out the best photos from Nikita Krylov’s knockout win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 208 in London.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]’s knockout win over [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 208 at The O2 in London. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)
Nikita Krylov spoiled Alexander Gustafsson’s return to competition with a quick win at UFC Fight Night 208.
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] spoiled [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s return to competition with a quick win at UFC Fight Night 208.
Gustafsson (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC), a former three-time UFC title challenger, made a comeback from a two-year layoff on Saturday. Krylov (28-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) didn’t allow him the chance to get a feel for the octagon, though, because he blasted the Swede with a haymaker for an early knockdown.
From there, Krylov’s killer instinct kicked in. He relentlessly rushed Gustafsson until he got another knockdown that was followed by some ground shots, bringing the light heavyweight bout at The O2 in London to an end in just 67 seconds.
Check out a replay of the finish below (via Twitter):
After the win, Krylov called for a matchup with Volkan Oezdemir, who won two fights prior to him on the main card against Paul Craig.
“(Beating Gustafsson is the) biggest name in my career,” Krylov told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. “Let’s go Volkan (Oezdemir). UFC Abu Dhabi (on Oct. 22). Let’s fight.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 208 results include:
Nikita Krylov def. Alexander Gustafsson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:07
In the main event, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at heavyweight. Aspinall, from England, is a slight -145 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Blaydes is +115. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers mostly see it the other way. Blaydes has a big 9-2 advantage in the picks.
In the middleweight co-feature, [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) meets short-notice replacement [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who stepped in for the injured Darren Till. The fight nearly is a pick’em at the betting window, but it’s Curtis with a 7-4 edge from our staff members.
Also on the main card, rising British star [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) fights [autotag]Jordan Leavitt[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at lightweight. Pimblett is a -270 favorite and has a big 9-2 picks lead.
Three-time light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) is back in the division after a one-fight stint at heavyweight in 2020. He is a +160 underdog against -210 favorite [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (27-9 MMA, 8-7 UFC). But despite the betting odds in Krylov’s favor, Gustafsson is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.
Our lone unanimous pick on the main card is another British fan favorite, Pimblett’s teammate [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC). She’s the main card’s biggest favorite at -420 for her women’s flyweight bout against [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), and she has a shutout in the picks at 11-0.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) takes on former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC), who is a -155 favorite. But despite that, +120 underdog Craig has a big 9-2 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Aspinall (65 percent), Curtis (60 percent), Pimblett (76 percent), Gustafsson (63 percent), McCann (83 percent) and Craig (69 percent) are the choices.
Alexander Gustafsson will remain at heavyweight for his next bout.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] will remain at heavyweight for his next bout.
Gustafsson (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) is expected to meet [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (39-14 MMA, 9-8 UFC) on May 21 at UFC Fight Night, which doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location.
Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Frontkick Online. The people requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.
Gustafsson, a three-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger, came out of retirement in July 2020 but was quickly submitted by Fabricio Werdum in his heavyweight debut. He was then booked to face Paul Craig back down in his original weight class at UFC Fight Night 191, but he withdrew due to injury. The 35-year-old has decided against a return to 205 pounds and will take on longtime heavyweight contender Rothwell.
Rothwell has split his past four appearances. After submitting Chris Barnett in May, the 53-fight veteran was stopped in the first round by Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC Fight Night 197 in November.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night on May 21 lineup includes:
Alexander Gustafsson will no longer fight Paul Craig at UFC Fight Night 191 in September.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s return to the UFC light heavyweight division will have to wait.
Gustafsson (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC), a three-time title challenger at 205 pounds, has been forced to pull out of his scheduled bout with [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (15-4-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 191 on Sept. 4.
MMA Junkie verified the withdrawal with a person close to the situation, who wished to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The exact nature of Gustafsson’s injury is undisclosed.
Gustafsson hasn’t competed since July 2020, when he suffered a first-round submission loss to Fabricio Werdum in his heavyweight debut. The Swede has lost three straight fights overall and retired from the sport in June 2019 before returning to the cage to fight Werdum.
Craig is left in limbo on a five-fight unbeaten streak. His past two wins have been the most notable of his career – finishes of top prospect Jamahal Hill and former champ Mauricio Rua.
UFC Fight Night 191 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
The latest UFC Fight Night 191 lineup now includes:
A potential light heavyweight barnburner is on the UFC’s fall slate.
A potential light heavyweight barnburner is on the UFC’s fall slate.
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (15-4-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) is set to take on former title challenger [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) at a UFC event set for Sept. 4. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person close to the matchup following an initial report from Front Kick. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement of the matchup.
The UFC’s Sept. 4 event does not yet have a publicly announced venue or location, but published reports have linked the show to London.
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Craig is coming off a brutal “Performance of the Night” TKO finish of Jamahal Hill at UFC 263 just 10 days ago in which he dislocated Hill’s arm in one of the nastiest finishes in recent memory. That ran the Scot’s current unbeaten run to five fights. He’s 4-0-1 in that stretch with four finishes – three for bonuses – and a split draw with Maurio Rua in Novemmber 2019.
Prior to Craig’s current standout stretch, he was a very pedestrian 3-4 in his first seven fights in the promotion after starting his career 9-0 with nine finishes. Overall, Craig has 12 submissions in his 15 wins, and the other three are TKOs.
Gustafsson will be in fairly dire need of a win. After a win over current light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in September 2016 and a knockout of upcoming title challenger Glover Teixeira in May 2017, Gustafsson got a second crack at Jon Jones in a vacant 205-pound title fight. But he lost that fight in at UFC 232 with a third-round TKO.
In June 2019, Gustafsson was submitted by Anthony Smith. He retired after the fight, but returned in July 2020 he was tapped in the first round by Fabricio Werdum in a move to heavyweight, giving him three straight losses. Gustafsson also has fought just once per year from 2016-2020, and the fight with Craig is his first scheduled bout of 2021.
Alexander Gustafsson appears poised to make another run at UFC prominence.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] appears poised to make another run at UFC prominence.
Gustafsson (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC), a three-time UFC title challenger in the light heavyweight division, issued a message Wednesday putting his fellow fighters on notice.
“The Mauler,” who hasn’t competed since a submission loss to Fabricio Werdum at UFC on ESPN 14 last July, wrote in a social media post that he intends to resume his MMA career this summer (via Instagram):
https://www.instagram.com/p/COvEQ1wBDMO
I have spent hours and hours in preparation. This summer I will dig deep inside myself.
Warning – I’m coming back stronger than ever. Stay in touch.
I will offer you the possibility to follow me all the way.
Gustafsson only competed once per year from 2016-2020. The Swedish fighter has lost his past three, getting stopped by Jon Jones, Anthony Smith and Werdum. The latter marked Gustafsson’s heavyweight debut.
The 34-year-old did not specify if he intends to remain at heavyweight for his comeback, but his caption about being “stronger than ever” paired with a weight lifting photo could mean he’s bulking up.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 14, which saw Robert Whittaker score a main-event win over Darren Till in Abu Dhabi.
The final stop of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stretch took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which went down at Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a record 15-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) rebounded from losing the title to Israel Adesanya last October when he outworked [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the main event.
For more on the numbers behind the historic fight card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 14.
The six fight-night bonuses issued at UFC on ESPN 14 set a single-event record for the company.
UFC on ESPN 14 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 11-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 14-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 15-bout card was 2:40:24.
Main card
Robert Whittaker
Whittaker improved to 9-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.
Whittaker has earned seven of his 12 UFC victories by decision.
Till fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the middleweight division in November.
Till suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s (27-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) 23 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to July 2014.
Nogueira has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision.
Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) improved to 10-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 12 UFC wins.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2017.
Gustafsson was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.
Gustafsson fell to 3-6 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to his first title fight against Jon Jones in September 2013.
Carla Esparza
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) improved to 7-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza’s eight victories in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Esparza’s four-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).
Esparza has earned seven of her eight UFC victories by decision.
Esparza’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC) had her 15-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
Craig (13-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.
Craig became the first fighter in UFC history to win three separate fights by triangle choke submission.
Craig’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Misha Cirkunov, Ovince Saint Preux, and Glover Teixeira for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all eight of his career losses by stoppage.
Antigulov suffered his first submission loss since Apr. 27, 2013 – a span of 2,646 days (more than seven years) and 18 fights.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) improved to 9-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.
[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) fell to 4-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
Sobotta has suffered four of his six UFC losses by decision.
Khamzat Chimaev
Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) set a record for fastest time between UFC wins with two victories in 10 days.
Chimaev earned a fight-night bonus for both of his wins.
Chimaev has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished five of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Preliminary card
Francisco Trinaldo
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19), Donald Cerrone (17) and Gleison Tibau (16).
[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by knockout.
Ronson (22-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC after going winless in his first stint from 2013-2014.
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.
Dalby suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was unsuccessful in his UFC heavyweight debut.
Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights.
Collier has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Grundy suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Tanner Boser
Boser (19-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned his second UFC victory in a 28-day stretch. He also won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.
Raphael Pessoa (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by stoppage.
Pessoa suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 12 career victories by decision. That includes both of her UFC wins.
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) improved to 3-1 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in May 2018.
Emeev improved to 16-2 in his past 18 fights.
Emeev has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned his first decision victory since Nov. 14, 2015 – a span of 1,715 days (nearly five years) and 11 fights.
[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
