“I Will Go In There and Maul His Face”- Alexander Gustafsson Sends a Warning to Former Heavyweight Champion

Alexander Gustafsson confirmed his return to the Octagon, as he made his first public announcement regarding the same a few days ago.

However, “The Mauler” will not be returning to the same division. Instead, he will move up towards Heavyweight.

In a recent interview on his website, Maulerbet.com, he gave a detailed account of his return. He said,

“I made the decision [to come back] in the past few weeks. I’ve stayed active, despite the strange times we’re in.”

Gustafsson is aiming to take on the Heavyweight legend, Fabricio Werdum, in his comeback fight. Their bout is reportedly confirmed to take place on July 25. Regarding the fight, he said,

“He’s experienced and a bit of a legend in the sport when you look at his career. He’s gained some weight in recent years but he’s not to be underestimated, he’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeves and is a legit black belt. And he, like everyone else in the HW division hits hard. So it will be an awesome challenge for me and it’s very motivating for me to fight him. I will go in there with full force, fully prepared to win. This is not a game and I will go in there to maul his face, get my W and take it from there.”

However, Alexander is not looking ahead of his incoming fight. Thus, it seems that the 33-year-old is looking to recreate his glory, step-by-step.

Why does Alexander Gustafsson want to move up to Heavyweight?

Alexander Gustafsson had quite an illustrious career as Light Heavyweight. He fought thrice for the title in two bouts with Jon Jones and one in the middle with Daniel Cormier.

Even though he did not win any title bout, he gave both champions the hardest fights of their lives. In fact, both “Bones” and DC claimed immediately after their fights with The Mauler that those fights had been the toughest of their careers.

The Swedish fighter even won various laurels for his stint at the Light Heavyweight roster of the UFC, including a Fighter of the Year award.

Why, then, does the fighter want to move up instead of finally dominating his old division? Here is what Alexander said regarding the move:

“My walk around weight is at about 236-238lbs and at the time of the fight, I think I’ll be around 231-233lbs. Even though I’m moving up a weight class I don’t want to add any unnecessary mass. I want to stay at the weight I perform the best at in training and that is around 227-231lbs. It’s right at the sweet spot, I feel strong there while also retaining speed and keeping myself injury-free. In the past when I’d made my 33lbs weight cut there would always be some small injury, my back, my knee, or something else. It takes a toll on you to make that cut during all these years.”

Well, looks like the debutant Heavyweight is looking forward to making his mark in a whole new division.

Do you think that Gustafsson will succeed in his endeavors at Heavyweight?