Alexander Gustafsson put on a show in front of his hometown crowd, finishing Glover Teixeira in the main event at UFC Stockholm on Sunday night.
Gustafsson hit Teixeira with three consecutive uppercuts before landing a looping right hand that sent his opponent to the floor in the fifth round.
Teixeira attempted to take control of the fight early, moving forward and pressuring Gustafsson. However, Gus did well to land quick combinations and circle away from danger multiple times throughout the fight. The uppercut was particularly effective for the Swedish fighter, and Teixeira didn’t appear to adjust to avoid the devastating strike for the duration of the near 25-minute fight.
Gustafsson, sensing the uppercut was the most effective punch he threw, put it into high gear early in the final round, which led to the finish at the 1:07 mark.
What was the highlight of the fight?
Is there a better highlight in a cage fight than the finish? I think not.
Gustafsson realized his uppercut was working early on and he kept using it through the end of the bout. This wasn’t any more obvious than in the final moments of the fight wherein he threw and landed three straight uppercuts, the third flush enough to make Teixeira do the stanky leg.
With his opponent wobblier than a fish out of water, Gustafsson took advantage and threw a looping right hand with conviction, landing it and putting down Teixeira for the dramatic finish.
Where do these two go from here?
With his finish at UFC Stockholm, Gustafsson puts himself in very good position to be considered for a light heavyweight title shot. It’ll be interesting to see what UFC brass will do with Gus as he waits for division champ Daniel Cormier and former title holder Jon Jones to fight in July at UFC 214. Maybe he — or Jimi Manuwa — will be sitting cage-side? Let’s hope so, but maybe he has some wedding planning to do first.
Teixeira has now lost two of his last three fights, each loss being a knockout. While his hopes to return to title contention might be currently thinning, a win streak might just put him right back in the conversation in the notoriously shallow 205-pound class. If Gus gets the contender push, a nice match-up to make for Teixeira would be against Manuwa.
Watch now, later, or never?
If you didn’t watch this live — and you should have, because early afternoon and morning fight cards are the best — then it’s in your better interests to watch this fight as soon as possible. Seeing Gustafsson do his thing as he returns to contention is always must-see.
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