Issue 112

March 2014

Second best might as well be last place to Alexander Gustafsson. After a heartbreaking decision loss to Jon Jones for the UFC 205lb title, ‘The Mauler’ is hungrier than ever.

On Alexander Gustafsson’s right arm is a tattoo. It’s a graphic tally of his wins and losses. A solid-black, shark-tooth-like triangle denotes a victory. An empty one means a defeat.

Although all 15 of his ‘W’s are represented, when the 27-year-old Swede speaks to Fighters Only early in his prep for a March bout against Jimi Manuwa in London, he hasn’t found the time to have the second of his two losses indelibly marked on his skin. 

It may sting a little more than normal when he does go under the needle as it’ll signify his unanimous, yet contentious, decision loss to Jon Jones from September. It’ll also remind him the UFC light heavyweight title wasn’t wrapped around his waist after five rounds of edge-of-the-seat combat at UFC 165 in Toronto that immediately became favorite to earn ‘Fight of the Year’ at the Sixth Annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards.

Many were convinced the striker had done enough to take the belt, and Gustafsson still believes he won the fight. He’s put the result behind him, but that doesn’t mean his competitive nature will let him place the belt in his rearview mirror too. 

“If you walk around with the belt around your waist it proves you’re the best one out there,” Alexander tells Fighters Only. “I’m not doing this to be happy to be number two or number three in the rankings; I want to be the best. That’s why I’m doing this.”

He says he’s been a bad loser ever since his days competing in hockey and soccer as a youngster. And that when someone gets the better of him he has to get them back. Even in the gym. “I just hate that, when I get my ass kicked in training,” chuckles Alex. 

Which is why that loss, to imperious champion Jones, is a thorn in his side. And why a desire to own that gold, which means “everything” to ‘The Mauler,’ has become a constant, nagging itch he cannot yet scratch. 

London calling

Before he can make any firm plans for his assault for the title, Alex has to beat Jimi Manuwa. An undefeated powerhouse striker (all 14 wins by stoppage), who hasn’t had his thirst for a fist-centric finish quenched in the UFC after all three of his opponents’ evenings were ended early by injury and/or the doctor. Scandinavia’s most famous mixed martial artist will also be taking on his foe in front of Manuwa’s hometown crowd at London’s O2 Arena. If the blond-haired, six-foot-four Gustafsson’s life were a Hollywood movie, ‘The Poster Boy’ would be the exact rival invented by its writers.

Alex isn’t easily rattled, however. Similar to the fearless 2,000-year-old conqueror his mother named him after – Alexander the Great. “I will finish him,” predicts Gustafsson in a surprisingly casual, matter-of-fact manner. “That’s my only goal in the fight: I want to finish him. I’ve had too many fights go to a decision now so I really want to have a finish.”

By “too many fights” the always-evolving boxer is referring to his last three bouts – Thiago Silva, ‘Shogun’ Rua, Jon Jones. That’s a lot for a man who outside of those results has stopped 86% of his opponents. Sure, Manuwa is dangerous, but so is Gustafsson.

The entire training camp readying for the Briton was conducted in Stockholm at the Allstars Training Center. A decision that came with much publicity in October when it was misconstrued to mean Alex had cut ties with Alliance MMA in San Diego – the gym he started sharing his training time between after its standout wrestler, Phil Davis, submitted him at UFC 112 in 2010.

“I was just saying I was going to be doing my Manuwa camp in Sweden because it’s in England and I don’t want the jet lag hitting me,” explains the ‘International Fighter of the Year’ contender. “I’m never going to leave Alliance. I’m still in that team and they’re still in my corner. I get the best of both worlds. I get Allstars Training Center as my home club with my head coach Andreas Michael, and then I have Team Alliance and (coach) Eric Del Fierro.”

All those parties were in close contact throughout the 205lb’er’s priming, making sure he followed a carefully composed plan. And Del Fierro is booked to fly the 5,400 miles to be in Alex’s corner in London. All to equip him with everything necessary to beat Manuwa, and move back into UFC title contention.

Cold comfort

While Gustafsson has everything he needs (championship lust and an explosively dangerous next opponent) to stay the motivated contender who earned his title shot with a six-fight win streak, you’d understand if he’d become complacent.

Apathy is never far from fame, and even in defeat Gustafsson has become far more famous than most ‘losers’. Since proving his quality against Jones, by pushing the reigning pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet to the limit, Alex’s profile has significantly increased in Sweden and across mixed martial arts. 

“I’ve noticed a lot of difference, especially in the Swedish media,” says Gustafsson, who hails from the small Swedish town of Arboga, population 10,000. “A lot of mainstream media is giving me and the sport a lot of attention. I’ve got so many more fans; people that didn’t even know about MMA have become fans. It’s amazing.”

Gustafsson, the man arguably responsible for it all, adds: “A lot of normal Swedish families and stuff, they know what MMA is and the kids are doing MMA kids classes. It’s a lot of changes and it’s a big difference. I would say the sport is mainstream now, and you can also tell most of the Swedish people know about the sport now.” 

And don’t forget his beating of 15 other UFC fighters, including ever-popular ex-170-pound champ Georges St Pierre, in a fan vote to make the cover of the highly anticipated video game EA Sports UFC – which he’ll share with, that guy, Jon Jones.

It’s all enough to put a young fighter’s head in the clouds. But there’s also the direct and indirect financial rewards that come with competing in a title fight – even after a loss. Monetary security has been known to douse the flames of competition. 

He says: “I feel much more relaxed now because I can take care of more things and everything when it comes to my way of living, my family and camp and all that. I’m not that worried anymore. That’s a very, very good feeling.”

However, instead of these comforts cooling the calm Swede’s desire, they have in fact done the polar opposite. “(Fighting complacency) is a balance I fight for every day,” he reveals. “What I do, personally, is to take a minute and think about what I have around me today, and how all that can disappear. 

“Everything can disappear any minute. I want to keep my life as I have it, and that makes me want to train harder. It means I don’t get comfortable… I want to keep everything I have and I don’t want to lose it.”

If there’s anything else Gustafsson feels blessed to have, it’s his fighting career. And not just in its current guise. It spoke to him at 19 years old when nothing else did, and gave an aimless teenager an opportunity. Now it’s pointed to a place that could provide for him and his family forever.

The light heavyweight says it was the challenge of mastering MMA’s component disciplines that lured him in. “I just liked it because I was learning all the time.” Because of everything it has given him – recognition, financial stability – it feels to him like it’s a gift he shouldn’t waste.

He remarks: “I think everything has a purpose and I think everything I’ve been through in life has been taking me in this direction, to this sport.”

But despite all Gustafsson gained in 2013, at the end of 2012 he lost something he will never get back. From the age of 16, a vital person in Alex’s life was Wiggo Carlsson, the pastor from his hometown. He passed away in September 2012, aged 79, leaving Christian Alex without his spiritual mentor for the first time in his career. The Swede misses him but knows “he’s in a better place.”

“He was a great man and he helped me a lot,” Gustafsson explains to FO. “He always had an answer. You could ask him anything and he just gave you an answer that no one else could give you.”

They were introduced by the fighter’s grandmother, Seija, and instantly bonded. Something about the minister, who grew up in an orphanage and dedicated his work as a pastor to working with youth, appealed to a teenage Gustafsson.

“He wasn’t talking, he wasn’t trying to tell you what to do or what not to do and all that, he just gave you advice. Early on I understood he was a very wise man,” says Alex.

Even when the striker moved over 200 miles to Gothenburg and later Stockholm, he kept in touch. And when he started his fighting career Alex would visit with Carlsson before every bout. They would pray and talk over a cup of coffee.

“It was a routine for me and I just felt good when I walked home again,” Gustafsson remembers. “I just felt good. I had a good feeling and good vibes so he was helping me in that way.

“And he was always saying to me, even when I was a teenager, he was always saying I was meant for something bigger and greater and he felt that I was one day going to be a world champion. A few days after we met for the first time, he asked me for my autograph and he was saving it.”

With the exception of a UFC title, Carlsson couldn’t have been more correct. For Alex, does it feel good to be proving him right?

“Yes, but I have so much more to give,” says Gustafsson, showing some of the ambition his mentor recognized over 10 years ago. “I’m going to take that belt and that’s how it is. It was a great fight (against Jones), it was all that stuff, but I’m not where I want to be. I still have a long road in front of me.”

No place like home

With a victory over Manuwa in London, Gustafsson’s career path could lead straight toward a second coveted crack at the UFC light heavyweight belt. And if there’s anything his first attempt at Jones’ gold must have accomplished it’s making him believe he could become champion. He might have thought it was possible before, but after besting ‘Bones’ for several rounds he knows it’s within his capabilities. 

“I believe I can beat the champion tomorrow,” Alex asserts. “I know what it takes. I see myself as a better fighter than the one that fought Jones. I try to improve every day and I know I can beat him, and I will beat him as soon as I get my chance.”

Understandably, almost every combatant who’s dreamed of fighting in the Octagon has felt the desire to become world champion. It’s simply impossible to buy that all of them, at one point, haven’t visualized that belt being wrapped around their waist. And, if just for a moment, been consumed by the sensation of what being king of the mountain actually feels like.

And that includes people who’ve fought hard enough for 25 minutes to have a case for taking the title home only to see it go to the fighter standing on the other side of the referee. People such as Gustafsson.

So, what does it feel like? “It feels like home to me,” reveals Alex. “It’s where I belong. I belong with the belt. Without it I’m not complete. I have to take that belt to become complete. 

“That’s the main goal. That’s why I’ve been doing this for all these years and been going through all that s**t: all the camps, all the stress, all the hard work. It’s all because of the belt and that’s what I want to have, you know?” 

We do. But, first things first.

Heavy decisions

Alexander Gustafsson’s 205lb rival Jon Jones has stated on several occasions he’s planning on a move to heavyweight in the future. But Alex, who is taller than ‘Bones’ by an inch, has no such plans until he’s accomplished one specific goal.

“I’m going to stick to light heavyweight. I want that belt first and I want to defend it until I break Anderson’s record (10 defenses), and then I can talk about heavyweight.”

It's in the game

Beating 15 UFC colleagues in a social media fan vote to become the co-cover star of the upcoming EA Sports UFC video game is a testament to Alex Gustafsson’s present-day popularity.

More people tweeted ‘#VoteGus’ in his tournament matchups against heavyweight wrestler Daniel Cormier, women’s contender Miesha Tate and the best 170lb fighter in history Georges St Pierre.

Gustafsson, who hasn’t had a sneak peek at the final cover, confesses he was shocked when found out the result. “I didn’t believe that I would make the cover… It was amazing. I can only thank my fans and everyone who was voting, and to my team around me. They were driving the whole thing to the sky.”

Victory in defeat

Few fighters have leaped from mid-card contender to premier UFC name as fast as Alexander Gustafsson. In his case it was all because of his only bout in the entirety of 2013 – and it was a loss. 

Dropping a decision to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn’t all that bad, it seems, especially when you give the young phenom the best challenge of his so-far-dominant career. In fact, Gustafsson was so effective there’s still a good argument ‘The Mauler’ should now be the owner of a UFC belt.

And, because of that, Sweden’s most successful mixed martial arts export is helping push the game into the mainstream in his home country, has a higher profile worldwide and is more respected than ever.

You’re not alone in thinking it’s odd that an 0-1 year can do that to a career; after all, Gustafsson confirms he also finds it “very strange.”

“I’ve been winning for all these years and I’ve never had this much attention from media and from around the world than I got from my loss,” he laughs. “So it’s very weird. It is what it is and I’m feeling comfortable. It’s the past now. I’m looking forward to this year.”

Which, combined with his larger presence and, perhaps, another UFC title shot, would surely mean more pressure. And if he was carrying Sweden’s hopes of UFC championship glory it’s fair to say, because of his success, all of Europe is banking on him to bring the continent its first Octagon gold since heavyweights Bas Rutten and Andrei Arlovski in 1999 and 2005 respectively.

Is he feeling the pressure? “No not at all,” insists the 27-year-old. “I don’t feel it in that way. I’m always nervous for every fight, but I don’t feel like I’m carrying anything. I’m just doing what I love to do. 

“The only thing I focus on really is my training and how I’m doing in competition. That’s the only thing that really is important to me. I don’t walk around feeling like I’m carrying people’s expectations, or that I have any responsibility or anything. I’m just doing what I love, and I do it every day.”