Alexander Gustafsson is back, folks. But his first victory since March 2014 didn’t come too easily. He didn’t finish Jan Blachowicz as many expected when they squared off in the UFC Fight Night 93 co-main event on Saturday afternoon. Blachowicz was game, but his biggest flaw in this particular bout was his takedown defense. After having quite a bit of success on the feet, he was repeatedly taken down by the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger and mauled on the ground. Gustafsson grinded out a unanimous decision victory, and that was that.
What was the highlight of the fight?
Blachowicz finding even some success in the striking department was pretty surprising, but the highlight of the fight for me was Gustafsson’s takedowns. It appeared that the Swede adjusted his gameplan during the fight after getting hit a few times on the feet — it wasn’t long after a few striking exchanges that Gustafsson sought a takedown. For me, Gustafsson knowing he had to take Blachowicz down to secure a victory in his return and being able to do so was the fight’s highlight.
Where do these two go from here?
Gustafsson is arguably back in title contention, but he has lost to champ Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson, who are likely going to rematch later this year for the belt, so he’s still quite far from getting a third crack at UFC gold. Someone in the same boat as “The Mauler” is longtime contender Ryan Bader, who also picked up a win at UFC Fight Night 93. Gustafsson vs. Bader is a fight we haven’t seen before and makes so much sense.
Blachowicz’s stock did not increase nor decrease with a unanimous decision loss to the Swede. Although he’s 1-3 in his last four outings, he won’t get cut because he fought one of the best in the world. But he’ll definitely be in a must-win situation in his next fight against a mid-tier light heavyweight.
Watch now, later, or never?
Gustafsson vs. Blachowicz was somewhat exciting early on, but slowed down when Gustafsson found his rhythm on the mat. I’d watch it later because, at the end of the day, it was better than most of the card. But there shouldn’t be a rush to watch the fight if you haven’t already caught it.