Over the past few days news of Alexander Gustafsson having suffered a cut in training broke. It has been unclear exactly what his status has been for the fight, but most rumors had it unlikely that Gustafsson would be cleared for his fight with Gegard Mousasi at UFC on Fuel TV 9, and it’s debatable if it’s the best idea for him to fight with a bad cut even if cleared given his position as a potential title challenger.
Wanderlei Silva took to Twitter yesterday saying that he had been offered the fight with Mousasi. While Dana White denied the rumor, suggesting it was some sort of April Fools joke, Silva spoke to Tatame and told them he was packing his bags and flying to Sweden:
“I was surprised when I got a call from Joe Silva today, but what others see as adversity I see as opportunity. I’m ready and I’m actually closing my suitcase right now. My flight to Sweden departs tomorrow morning”, said Wand, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I’m going to my gym tonight to hit some pads and tomorrow I’ll fly out to Sweden. I’m bringing Rafael Cordeiro, and maybe Fabrício Werdum with me. You know it was in the last minute”, he added.
Silva vs. Mousasi would be the best thing they could do to salvage the main event on short notice. Wanderlei remains a beloved fighter who can get people to tune in and not leave the crowd in Sweden feeling like they got ripped off.
We’ll have more updates as they become available.