Johnson saddened that his success came at Gustafsson’s expense: His dreams got shot to hell

Last month, in front of a hostile crowd in Stockholm, Sweden, Anthony Johnson earned the biggest victory of his professional career when he upset…

By: Karim Zidan | 9 years ago
Johnson saddened that his success came at Gustafsson’s expense: His dreams got shot to hell
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Last month, in front of a hostile crowd in Stockholm, Sweden, Anthony Johnson earned the biggest victory of his professional career when he upset former title challenger and local star Alexander Gustafsson in the opening round of their main event contest.

For Johnson, the win was the direct result of his earlier tribulations, and a testament to the hard work he dedicated himself to over the past few years. Yet, for all the relief and satisfaction that he felt immediately following the win, there was a tinge of sadness blended in with his happiness.

“I did (feel sad) because, I mean, we all knew what the deal was before the fight,” he told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “(Gustafsson) was supposed to have his title shot and then he got injured, and then Jon and DC [Daniel Cormier] had their beef going on, so they let that fight continue, even though I think DC got hurt. And Alex should have had his title shot back then. It should have been Alex fighting instead of DC. But this is the UFC. This is their business so, they can do what they have to do. It’s Zuffa.”

While Johnson understands that winning always comes at the expense of the opposition, he could not help but empathize with Gustafsson, whom he believes earned his title shot well before their fight in Stockholm.

“It just seems like he’s been through Hell and back to get his rematch for a title, and he just didn’t get his opportunity again. I mean, I felt bad for him. So when he was crying, to me that’s what was going through my head. I was like damn, his dreams just got shot to hell. I just felt bad about it.”

Transcription taken from MMAFighting.com.

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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