UFC 141: Alexander Gustafsson TKO's Matyushenko in Round 1
Posted on December 30, 2011, 10:06 PM by Anton GurevichSwedish prospect Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson moved another step closer to a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight title, defeating the UFC veteran Vladimir Matyushenko via TKO at UFC 141 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gustafsson enjoyed a valuable reach advantage over Matyushenko, dominating the fight with kicks and jabs that prevented from the Belarusian to execute his gameplan. Gustafsson's jab won him the fight Matyushenko wanted to close the distance, and walked directly into the punch. The Janitor turtled up on the canvas, as Alexander Gustafsson finished the fight with a fight-finishing ground and pound.
Gustafsson improves his MMA record to 13-1, by this solidifying his place as one of the Top 10 Light Heavyweights on the planet. Stephan Bonnar could be a great match-up for Gustafsson, who will be looking to get a #1 contender status in 2012.
Comments
Anton, was the janitor intended as a stepping stone for the Swede? No disrespect but Matty got swept away what looked like quite handily.
Marketability of Gustafsson is unexistant. I like this kid but nobody actually wants to see him fight Jon "Bones" Jones.
Hopefully he'll keep on winning and who knows , maybe he will climb the ladder and get a title shot some day.
yeah he should fight a 7 to 10 lhw now :D
I would love to see him vs Jones....BUT I would like to see him vs either Shogun/Rampage or Loser of Rashad/Davis or even Ryan Bader.
The Mauler looked incredible once again, one of his best performances. He dropped a tough veteran with a stiff jab and followed up with his some nasty shots on the ground. I think he has some of the best potential in that weight class in MMA at the moment, along with fighters like Phil Davis, Rory MacDonald and Michael McDonald.
Alexander has sick stand-up, real nasty G&P, good and improving sub game (from the top anyway) and great grappling - even Phil Davis had to work for his takedowns and now that Davis is training with Gustafsson his takedown defense is going to get even better.
The sky is the limit for Gustafsson, I just hope they don't rush him as much as they are with Davis. Perhaps the winner of Rampage Bader but Rampage is a big step up. I think Stephan Bonnar is the right opponent for him.
I would really like to see Gus vs. Hendo but that's unlikely.
But I am thinking either little Nog or Bonnar. Both of these fighters looked dominate against their last opponents, and both would test Gus.
I don't like the idea of Bonnar because in his last few fights he has been wanting to implement more and more of his ground game, and that's where I think Gus is the weakest at. Phil Davis sub'd Gus, I think Bonnar can get him in trouble on the ground. I honestly wish Vlad would have tested Gus's TDD, but impressive win non-the-less.
Hopefully he doesn't sit on the shelf for too long.
I like both those fights and I think Gustaffson wins both.
When Tito put hte early pressure on Nog he looked like he has in trouble. Alexander may not put him against the cage but he will put constant pressure on and won't let him get settled. I actually see the fight being similar to this one against the Janitor but a bit more competitive as Nog is faster than Vlad.
In the Bonnar fight I think it will be quite a war as usual wiht Bonnar btu if Gustaffson can keep the distance and avoid the brawls he should be able to pick him apart coming in and out the pocket. Probably a dec. as I doubt Bonnar can be stopped.