Looking back on it now, it’s clear why Daniel Cormier was given the nod against Alexander Gustafsson at their UFC 192 meeting this past weekend. Cormier was consistently the more aggressive fighter, and he landed more shots overall.
However, before the score cards were officially read on Saturday night (nearly Sunday morning here in the one-true-time-zone), I was convinced Gustafsson had done enough to walk away with the belt.
Sure, he lost round one, thanks to a massive takedown from Cormier and consistent ground control throughout, and he lost the fifth frame as Cormier’s will proved to be more iron-clad than Gus’.
But that still leaves 15 minutes’ worth of fighting to argue about. During which time, specifically the third round, Gustafsson managed to come within a strike or two from being the first man to finish Cormier after landing a well-placed knee to the face of the champ followed by a perfect left hand.
After the fight, Cormier said himself that this was the most harrowing moment of the fight, and judging by how wobbly he was at the beginning of the fourth round, it’s clear to see why.
It wasn’t enough, though, and twice now Alexander Gustafsson is on the losing end of a decision that truly could have gone either way.
This is unfortunately becoming an all too familiar routine for Gustafsson; just two years ago he fought then-champion Jon Jones to a decision in what has come to be regarded as Jones’ greatest test to date.
He came up just short of the title that night, and did so again last weekend. In both fights he took down the greater wrestler, and in both fights he out-struck the champion in at least one round.
And yet he is 1-3 in his last four outings.
Despite this losing record, Gustafsson has amassed four post fight bonuses in just three fights over the last two years, and has faced both current and former champions, as well as the last number one contender.
He’s not fighting scrubs, is the point I’m trying to make. And if his performance did nothing else on Saturday night, Gustafsson proved once again that although he is consistently the bridesmaid and never the bride, he is one of the elite at 205-pounds.
His fights with Jon Jones and now Daniel Cormier rank in the top two for total significant strikes thrown in a light-heavyweight UFC contest, and of his 12-fights with Zuffa, only four have gone the distance.
He’s hard to take down, even for Olympic-level wrestlers like Cormier, and he’s even harder to hit; Anthony Johnson is still the only fighter to finish Gustafsson via strikes, and it only came after the Swede ate an unintentional head-butt from Rumble.
But he’s now lost to all three of the top-dogs at light-heavyweight. And though it’s hard to imagine him losing to anyone else, with such little success against the top of the division, Gustafsson might have to consider a brief jaunt up to heavyweight.
And at 6’5 and a walking-around weight north of 210lbs, it’s not crazy to imagine Lusty Gusty enjoying some success against the big boys of the sport. It might be a good idea just to let things simmer down at light-heavyweight and to remind people why he was such a frightening finisher when he first came onto the scene in 2009.
Changing weight classes, however, is the oft used back-up plan for many fighters who have reached an impasse in the division of their choosing. Rarely does it lead to any revolutionary change in the career trajectory of a fighter, but it can provide the feeling of a clean slate that Gustafsson might need right now.
No matter where he ends up, though, Gus has proved once again that he is no trifling matter. Being second best in the world can feel like the loneliest position in the world, but not when you realize how many 205er’s would die to have Gustafsson’s success in the cage.
