HOUSTON. On George Bush Int Airport welcomed to a recorded voice that tells you where to pick up their sent handguns.
Of course. We’re in Texas.
Alexander Gustafsson’s main weapon is his fast hands and even faster feet.
Thanks to them, he becoming the world’s best latte heavyweights in MMA early on Sunday morning. Sports blade had a long interview with a tuned and confident The Mauler before the title match against the champion Daniel Cormier.
You always say before all the matches that are better than ever, but this time, many people says you really are.
– I have been driving much weight training. It has been a great deal during my camp. It feels good. It is in the shape it is, but I’m ready for what is to come. Has trained all summer. A gear all the time, says Alex.
Is there any difference in your attitude before this match? The last game did you get after having had a lot of problems with injuries and canceled matches.
– I feel I have fun. Had fun exercise. It’s fun to be here. Fun to be back to what you are used to doing. It’s a title match. This is what I’ve worked for. Just step over the line and go home with the belt. I enjoy it.
There are always two scenarios. Go home with the belt or not. What happens in one or another state?
– I’m going home with the belt we will see what the next challenge will be. Then I met a great goal I had in several years, I’ve worked for. It would be how large any time, both for myself, family, team and even for MMA sport in Sweden and Europe.
– If I go not home with the belt … well, then I do not know what I does.
“… then the hell with it”
After the last game (knockout loss to Anthony Johnson in Tele2 Arena) you were hugely disappointed and had destructive thoughts to lay off. But you’ve afford quite a few losses in MMA, after all.
– It has. I could support myself of this as a living with a win here, a loss there, but it’s not me. I can not be the best at what I do, then the hell with it.
If you lose, it will be a difficult road to get back to another title match.
– Right. I end up at square one again if I would go on Aces. Now I have a second chance. Everything depends on this game. Though now I’m not here and say I’ll quit if I Cods game. We’ll see how I take it then. Now the focus is only on me to have the belt around his waist on the flight home.
Cormier was hoping you trained extensively wrestling so you will be surprised when he hits you in the face.
– It is good. I have trained very wrestling but I have trained more standing. Trying to work out all aspects about as much really. I have a good defense against wrestling. People have been hard to take me down before. Would he take me down in the middle of the game, it is not the whole world. When I get to work from there with it. He will get a taste of my standing game.
You are difficult to take down but also incredibly difficult to pin down.
– I can be dismounted but setting myself up pretty fast. I am a striker, that’s where I feel comfortable. Do not like being taken down to the ground and lie on the bottom. Where should I be on top and be aggressive. I end up on my back I set myself up.
I will come up
And then plays opponent’s strength not matter?
– Does not matter. It will be a fight, he has been the Olympic wrestler, he will try to keep down me but I will come up.
Daniel Cormier claim you got a sort of lifetime recognition with the match against Jon Jones. You always raised up because of it. What do you think of that argument?
– It was a good game and a lot happened in my life after, but I lost. There is nothing I go back and think of as a good thing because I have not accomplished anything with it. It’s a loss on paper and that is what matters in the long run.
– Now only the title is at stake and it’s my time. I’ve never been in the shape I am, physically and mentally. Feel stronger than ever and know that the DC suits me fine. His style. He is a natural heavyweight who will come in hard, but I’m too fast. The speed and my precision of.
How do you think the game will look like?
– I think it will be a femrondare. He’s tough to beat out. I see five tough rounds in front of me. A bit like a Jones game but I will be stepping out with the belt.
If you quit the game, is it standing boxing?
– A perfect the match would be a knockout in the first. Get it over with.
If we still go back to Jon Jones. Now he did not have imprisonment and may be back fairly quickly in the UFC. If you take the title, it is suddenly a completely new situation. Everyone wants to see a return against Jones but you are champions and then the match shall be in Stockholm.
– It is not impossible. It’s the game everyone wants to see that everyone is talking about. I want the game. I pick belt here and now, whips, DC, come home and then Jones be the next challenge. And it would be so I will have a big smile on his face.
“want to show that I am the best”
We go back to your recent loss. How long did it take to process it? You were up there at the very highest level, everyone was talking about you and so raged.
– It was tough. As a straight right and it was a straight right. I was floored twice. First of Anthony and then when it all to bed, when I started taking the position. There were two options. Continue or put down.
– I said as much when I was so emotional, but in fact I had never taken the step to put down, and here I am today. I’ll go for the belt, meet DC. Can not get better than this.
What about your MMA journey so far?
– There have been ups and downs, a carousel, but on the whole a good carousel. I have been doing for seven years in the UFC. It’s my time now to show that I’m not just one of the best, but the best. I have worked hard to become one of the best but always knew that I have the potential to be the best.
– I have turned every stone in my training camp, nothing is done. My confidence comes from, I know I’ve done everything in my power to beat the DC. Where is my mind right now.
You said that even if you become a world champion, you’re not the world’s best because it’s Jon Jones. I think that reasoning is wrong because the man who the world champion is the world’s best until someone else proves the opposite by defeating one. As for Jones, we do not know if he’s better than you. I still think that you were the best when you met in Toronto.
– This may also be the reason, absolutely. I agree with you. I mean more that he has written history with what he has done in the division. Had the belt at, done that no one else has done, but as you say, has the belt is man’s best fajtern until someone proves otherwise.
Early Sunday morning, probably around the clock 06, the Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson prove that he’s the world’s best MMA fights at light heavyweight.
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