Alexander Gustafsson opened up about the crazy misconceptions people had of MMA when he first started in the sport.
At the peak of his powers, the Swede was a truly fantastic operator, mesmerizing fans with his slick boxing skills.
While the striker never won the UFC world title, he produced tremendous performances against Glover Teixeira and Jimi Manuwa, and gave Jon Jones one of his toughest fights.
However, long before he reached the world’s premier MMA organization, he was competing on the regional scene without any glitz and glamor.
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Alexander Gustafsson says people thought MMA fighters ‘drank beer’ and punched each other
Alexander Gustafsson made his debut all the way back in 2007, defeating Saku Heikkola via rear-naked choke.
While the sport was beginning to boom, MMA certainly wasn’t mainstream, with many who hadn’t researched the art form not quite being aware of precisely what it was.
In an interview with KaratebyJesse, Gustafsson explained: “Well, although I don’t think this misconception really exists in today’s martial arts world, there used to be a time when everybody thought that only gangsters did MMA.
“Because it was such an underground sport, people basically had this idea that we drank beer and punched each other senseless in somebody’s basement.”
Luckily, with the explosion of promotions like the UFC, Oktagon and ONE Championship, fans around the globe have had the opportunity to develop an understanding of the incredible amount of athleticism and skill it takes to compete in mixed martial arts.
Alexander Gustafsson is pleased that misconceptions surrounding MMA have been minimised
Having dedicated his life to the sport, Gustafsson is thrilled that things have changed.
He explained: “Among martial artists, I think MMA is pretty much accepted as a legit sport everywhere.
“People understand what they see. And that’s crucial, because misunderstandings occur when people don’t have a good understanding of what they’re seeing.”
The warrior added: “I often find the critique given from ‘regular’ sports towards MMA unfair, especially when you consider the fact that we have a more advanced repertoire of techniques than many sports out there.
“But again, I don’t think there exists a general negativity against MMA in the global martial arts community anymore. We are past that.”