ABU DHABI – There seems to be a bit of history between Alexander Gustafsson and Fabricio Werdum.
The former three-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger Gustafsson (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) will move on to heavyweight to face former champion Werdum (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC on ESPN 14, which takes place at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, and airs on ESPN.
Although Gustafsson is entering a new weight class, he is already quite familiar with Werdum, he said. When asked about a training session in 2012, where Werdum claims he got the best Gustafsson, “The Mauler” set the record straight and revealed that he actually got the best of the Brazilian, and even “broke his nose.”
“We had a good fight,” Gustafsson told reporters, including MMA Junkie, Tuesday at the UFC on ESPN 14 media day. “I got everything in, him and me, and it was a good fight. I don’t remember who he was fighting with at the time, but he was in the camp, he was in the camp to fight, but to summarize the story, I beat him in that training session. I hit him badly … so he didn’t want to fight me anymore.
Gustafsson said he certainly didn’t expect that version of Werdum on the night of the fight. He suspects that Werdum, who hasn’t been too active lately either, is in good shape.
“That was a different world, a different time,” said Gustafsson. “I see Werdum in his best form now. In fact, I saw him there and said hello, but he looks fit, he looks ready to go, so I’m really excited about this. ”
Gustafsson’s UFC fight on ESPN 14 marks his first time since June 2019. The Swede walked away from the sport after suffering a fourth-round submission loss to Anthony Smith at UFC on ESPN + 11 in his hometown of Stockholm. .
He admits he reacted emotionally when he announced his retirement, and Smith’s heartbreaking loss prompted that decision. At heavyweight, he has a new life and now he no longer has to exhaust himself to reach the 205-pound limit. So Gustafsson said he hopes to have numerous advantages in his new weight class.
“My speed (will be key),” said Gustafsson. “Basically, I took everything from light heavyweight to heavyweight now, and I feel much stronger. Now I perform better than light heavyweight in my training fields, so I feel strong, I feel fast, I am ready.
“I want to be active. I’m here to stay, I’m not going anywhere, so let’s see what happens. “
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