Alexander Gustafsson, also nicknamed “The Mauler,” is a Swedish MMA(Mixed Martial Artist) fighter. With a Pro MMA Record: 18-7-0 (Win-Loss-Draw), he competes in the UFC’s heavyweight division (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
This professional wrestler is in affiliation with Allstars Training Center, fighting out of Stockholm, Sweden.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Alexander Lars-Ake Gustafsson |
| Date of Birth | 15 January 1987 (aged: 34 years old as of July 2021) |
| Birthplace | Arboga, Sweden |
| Nickname | The Mauler |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Father’s Name | N/A |
| Mother’s Name | Eleonora Gustafsson |
| Siblings | four younger sisters (names unknown) |
| Height | 6’4″ (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | MMA fighter |
| Team | Allstars Training Centre |
| Division | Light heavyweight (2007-2019)
Heavyweight (2020) |
| Rank | A purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Active Years | 2007-present |
| Marital Status | Engaged |
| Wife’s Name | Moa |
| Children | Daughter (Eva) and a Son(Eston) |
| Residence | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Net Worth | $ 400 thousand |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Signed UFC Card, Posters |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
Appearance
Alexander Gustafsson, the current UFC light heavyweight champion, has a 6’4″ height and an athletic build.
In particular, he has the typical Swedish blonde hair and rectangular face shape with black eyes. Gustafsson smiles while his boxer’s ears swell, giving off a vintage Viking vibe.
Early Years
His parents welcomed him into the world in the small town of Arboga, which is located two hours’ drive from Stockholm. Along with his four younger sisters, he grew.
Since his parents divorced when he was a young child, he was raised by his mother Eleonora Gustafsson and his stepfather. Alexander had a close relationship with his biological father, despite the fact that he lived in a different city. His biological father battled alcoholism in the past.
He had little interest in academics since he was young and always yearned to participate in sports. He tried every sport, including hockey, football, and welding, before realizing that the boxing ring was where he belonged.
Starting a Career
Due to his high level of stress during his teenage years, Gustafsson frequently engaged in fights without any supervision. He became involved in an amateur scene for the first time when he was 15 years old. He was later imprisoned as an 18-year-old teenager for an aggravated assault on his sister and brother that occurred after drinking.
His friend cum fan suggested MMA to him after he was released in 2006. He came across the Swedish MMA pioneer August Wallen’s training facility. He therefore left the city and his problems behind to pursue MMA.
Stepping Stone: Alexander Gustafsson
Alexander Gustafsson began boxing in 1997, but his first national championship (at the junior level) didn’t come until 2003. But he didn’t begin his formal MMA training until after 2006. Prior to starting his fighting career, he worked as a construction worker, club bouncer, and scuba divemaster among other jobs.
Gustafsson defeated Saku Heikola in 2007 and then made his MMA debut. He quickly made a comeback to boxing between 2008 and 2009, winning an amateur Swedish heavyweight boxing competition. His newly formed boxing career was on the verge of failure the following year in 2010, as he was unable to participate in a national championship match.
Alexander Gustafsson | UFC Preliminary Matches
Gustafsson first started competing in the martial art discipline known as shootfighting. He had a 5-1 shot record, with 4 victories coming by knockout and 1 by decision. He lost to Mats Nilsson in the 2007 Kaisho Battle due to a split decision.
Second, he participated in small Submission Wrestling and Grabbing matches throughout Sweden and various regions of Europe. He stayed out of all of the matches that were going on. However, his most notable triumph occurred on March 13, 2008, when he knocked out German prospect Florian Muller in the second round.
At the conclusion of the same year, he switched Krzysztof Kulak, Poland’s top prospect, for his previous opponent Florian Muller after winning the match against Matteo Minonzio. Despite the short notice, Gustafsson defeated Krzysztof Kulak by using multiple knockouts to secure enough unanimous decisions.
On May 30, 2009, at Superior Challenge 3, he played the European Veteran Vladimir Shemarov in his final match. He was easily successful in the first round thanks to a knockout.
He was 8-0 in professional fights by the year 2009, winning 6 via KO/TKO, 1 via submission, and 1 via decision.
The Career of Alexander Gustafsson | UFC
After defeating Jared Hamman in the first round with a straight right punch, Alexander made his UFC debut in November 2009. His first defeat, however, came to Phil Davis at UFC 112 in April 2010 as a result of an Anaconda choke.
Gustafsson defeated MMA and kickboxing veteran Cyrille Diabate at UFC 120 in round 2 by submission after fighting Phil for half a year. He attributed his success to the months he spent in the training camp at Alliance MMA.
And He allowed UFC fighters Phil Davis, Dominick Cruz, Brandon Vera, Joey Beltran, and Travis Browne to train alongside him. He practiced improvising his strength and speed with them.
Gustafsson’s UFC Wins
Starting since the year 2011, the below-highlighted points are the victories of Alexander Gustafsson:
- 21 February, 2011= Alexander first fought with James Te Huna at UFC 127. His victory was passed through submission in the first round.
- 6 August, 2011= He was expected to face Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 133 but was pulled out. Hence, Gustafsson faced Matt Hamill and won the match in the second round via straight punch, followed by uppercuts and knockout.
- 30 December, 2011= At UFC 141, Alexander eventually stood upon a match with Vladimir Matyushenko. After dropping his opponent with jabs and punches in the ground in the first round, he took the game.
- 14 April 2012= Gustafsson was expecting to face Antônio Rogério Nogueira at UFC on FuelTV 2 in Sweden. However, due to Nogueria’s injury, Thiago Silva replaced him. Alexander then dominated the match with his effective outstrike, taking him down in both first and the second round. He celebrated his win by the unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28).
- 8 December 2012=, Gustafsson accepted the fight with Maurício Rua at UFC on Fox 5. He landed six takedowns on Rua, showcasing all his wrestling and powerful strikes, which gave him an easy victory.
- 6 April 2013=; finally, Gustafsson had a match with former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi at UFC on Fuel TV 9. However, due to his sparring season, he was left with a cut making him unclear. Thus, UFC newcomer Ilir Latifi (one of Alexander’s main training partners) replaced Alexander.
Title Shot for Alexander Gustafsson: 2013 International Fighter of the Year
Alexander Gustafsson won the title after his fight with UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on September 21, 2013. Gustafsson challenged Jones as he would any other opponent in the main event of UFC 165.
Jon Jones suffered a deep cut over his right eye during the fight, but he still won the later rounds in the ring. Jon successfully ended the fight with powerful strikes, but he had to be rushed to the hospital. Jones proclaimed that it was one of his most difficult matches ever.
According to some, this particular contest is the best light heavyweight match of all time. The “World MMA Award” and even “2013 Fight of The Year” were given to it. The “Fight of The Night” bonus was given to both Jonas and Gustafsson for their efforts.
37th UFC Fight Night
At UFC Fight Night 37 on March 8, 2014, Alexander Gustafsson had the opportunity to compete against Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Nogueira quickly explained that he never intended to fight Gustafsson after five days of match fixation.
Thus, Nogueira was replaced by striker Jimi Manuwa at the same event where he suffered the biggest defeat. Alexander beat Manuwa with a barrage of punches and a knockout to win both the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night prizes.
Gustafsson, meanwhile, dedicated his victory to his biological father, who had passed away just a week earlier, during the interview.
Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson
Dana White, the president of the UFC, desired a rematch between Alexander Gustafsson and Jon Jones. Dana White immediately mentioned the potential for a rematch in Sweden Stadium on April 21, 2014.
Later, on May 24, 2014, Dana White set aside August 30, 2014, for the rematch at UFC 177 in Las Vegas. The match’s time and location, however, turned out to be unreliable. On June 2, 2014, the fight was still suspended, and Dana declared that Jon Jones “doesn’t want to fight Gustafsson.”
Following that, the UFC announced on 5 June 2014 that the rematch would take place on September 27 at UFC 178. The fight, which was originally scheduled to take place in Toronto, was moved to Las Vegas. In any case, Alexander was compelled to withdraw from the match because of his torn meniscus. In the end, Gustafsson was replaced by Daniel Cormier.
Guide for Alexander Gustafsson (2015-2020)
On January 24, 2015, at UFC on Fox 14, Alexander Gustafsson was scheduled to face Rashad Evans, but he had to compete against Anthony Johnson. Rashad was receiving treatment for his knee injury at the time, which would take some time.
The winner of the contest with Anthony Johnson would challenge Jon Jones for the championship. Gustafsson, however, suffered the first strike stoppage of his career in the first round of the fight, losing by TKO.
At UFC Fight Night 69 on June 20, 2015, Alexander squared off against Glover Teixeira, but he was forced to withdraw because of a back injury. Gustafsson’s fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 191 on September 5, 2015, was then postponed as a result of his back injury.
At UFC 192, Gustafsson and Cormier squared off on October 3, 2015. Gustafsson was defeated by a split decision, but he managed to score two takedowns in round two. Both competitors received Fight of the Night awards for their efforts.
Later, on September 3, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 93, Alexander faced Jan Bachowicz, which he won via unanimous decision.
Highlights
At UFC Fight Night 100 on November 19, 2016, Ryan Bader took Gustafsson’s place against Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Gustafsson was consequently excused from practice and competitions while claiming a back injury.
Alexander and Glover Teixeira fought on May 28, 2017, in the main event of UFC Fight Night at 109. Gustafsson, however, continued to dominate for the first four rounds and eliminated Glover at the start of the fifth. As a result, both competitors won Fight of the Night prizes.
Luke Rockhold was to face Alexander following this specific match. But in the end, Luke had to withdraw due to an injury. Gustafsson therefore competed against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 227 on August 4, 2018. However, Volkan withdrew from the match on July 19, 2018, after also reporting a nose injury.
Sadly, Gustafsson injured his hamstring on July 22, 2018. Consequently, he also decided to forfeit the match.
It was announced that a match with Jon Jones would take place after his return on October 10. The vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship matchup was scheduled for UFC 232 on December 29, 2018.
Sadly, Jones’s knee caused him to sustain a groin injury, and he went on to lose the fight via technical knockout in the third round.
transitioning to heavyweight and retiring
At UFC Fight Night 153 on June 1, 2019, Gustafsson lost to Anthony Smith in a split decision. In the fourth round, Smith applied his rear-naked choke technique, forcing Gustafsson to concede defeat.
The show is over, guys, Alexander said as he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, removed his gloves, placed them on the octagon floor, and declared.
However, only a few months into his retirement did rumors of his comeback start to spread. Gustafsson competed in a grappling match against Swedish MMA prospect Anton Turkalj on December 11 in Sweden.
Gustafsson discussed his training trip to America in the interview on April 3, 2020, as the COVID 19 ban is lifted. He also said that his return would depend on how the trip turned out.
Gustafsson’s brief retirement came to an end on April 5, 2020.
On July 26, 2020, he took part in a match against former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. Sadly, Alexander’s return to active MMA competition in the UFC started with a defeat in the heavyweight division of UFC on ESPN 14.
You can never be too cozy. Every step of the way, I have to keep challenging myself to become a better fighter.
– Alex Gustafsson
Training | Alexander Gustafsson
Gustafsson practices at the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, which is run by Andreas Michael, Gustafsson’s head coach (former boxing coach and former amateur boxing coach for the Swedish Olympic team). Gustafsson, however, has received training in his native Sweden almost his entire professional life.
After the match with Davis at UFC 112, Alexander had also been working out part-time with Davis at Alliance MMA in San Diego, California. At the time, there were rumors that he would only train in Sweden; however, Alexander later rejected these claims.
Alliance MMA and Allstars Training Center have maintained a close relationship ever since. Actually, fighters from both groups alternate training both sides.
Gustafsson’s Method of Combat
Alexander Gustafsson uses powerful blows and quick footwork to great effect. Additionally, his boxing background gives him a wide variety of combinations.
To find his own openings, he keeps himself largely out of his opponent’s line of sight. Not to mention that the UFC has benefited his wrestling, both offensively and defensively.
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Persona of Alexander Gustafsson
Alexander Lars-Ake Gustafsson is the name that his mother, Eleonora Gustafsson, gave him in honor of Alexander the Great. His mother says she gave birth to the great one in him.
In a similar vein, Gustafsson’s training partners gave him the moniker “The Mauler” early in his career. It was in reference to him due to his murderous propensity, which was let loose to recklessly finish the opponent.
Gustafsson was close friends with the pastor Wiggo Carlsson because of his devotion to Christianity. Nevertheless, the pastor passed away in early 2012.
Longtime friend and two-division boxing world champion Badou Jack is Gustafsson. In 2007–2008, they got to know one another through amateur boxing in Stockholm. They have served as sporadic training and sparring partners ever since.
Additionally, Gustafsson starred in the 2015 release of the popular Swedish film Johan Falk – Blood Diamonds.
Tattoos
The tattoos in Alexander Gustafsson’s personal collection all have special significance for him.
Alexander Gustafsson has a dog face tattoo right above his left chest. Actually, he previously lost his pet dog, Ghostface.
He also has a Red Indian Chief tattooed on his left shoulder. It has a bird’s crown on its head, which extends toward his left collar bone.
Alexander also has a second tattoo on his body that is of the card Spade. On his right upper arm, it is inked. Inverted triangles are used to create this large tattoo.
Quotes
- I’m never satisfied, I always want to do better. That’s how it is to be an elite athlete, you’re never happy. When you start getting happy and you start feeling satisfied, you’re done.
- Stay positive, even if you’re fighting for your life.
- I’m a fighter and I just want to fight better guys all the time, tougher guys so I just want to beat better guys and my goal is to be number one day so if I get a chance to fight a better guy I’ll do it, anytime, anywhere.
Alexander Gustafsson | Love Life
The UFC Champion fighter Alexander Gustafsson began a relationship in 2015 with Moa.
Later, the wrestler proposed her for engagement inside the octagon right after defeating Glover Teixeira in his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden.
The duo had their first child, Eva, in May 2017, while their second child, Eston, in September 2018.
Alexander Lars-Ake Gustafsson | Net Worth
Gustafsson is reported to have a net worth of $ 400 thousand as of 2022. Being a Skilled MMA fighter, most of his earnings are from martial arts.
Since 2019, Alexander Gustafsson is a part-owner of Swedish mixed martial arts promotion AK Fighting Championship.
Altogether, he has career earnings of $733,000. Well, Alexander has a brand deal with Gatorade and a sponsorship deal with Reebok.
Alexander Gustafsson Social Media
Alexander Gustafsson is quite active on social media as he is posting posts every one or two days. Currently, we can even find a book written on him, “The Mauler.”
| Instagram handle | @alexthemauler |
| Twitter handle | @AlexTheMauler |
Alexander Gustafsson FAQs
Who is Alexander Gustafsson’s idol in combat sports?
Alexander Gustafsson draws his inspiration from MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko and considers him as his idol.
Does Alexander Gustafsson do drugs or smoke?
Having used drugs and smoke cigars, many celebrities have been caught. While some even openly admit about their usage. However, Gustafsson is a clean athlete.
Is Alexander Gustafsson gay or straight?
While the rumors spread far and wide, but Alexander Gustafsson isn’t gay.
What is Alexander Gustafsson doing in 2020?
There is no information regarding Alexander’s schedule. However, 2020 is supposedly his hectic year as he has made his comeback in a heavy division.
Will Alexander Gustafsson retire after a failed heavyweight debut?
As far as the sources, Alexander Gustafsson will be staying on the Heavyweight champion. We can’t simply decide the future of Alexander Gustafsson in the heavyweight division from such a short fight against Fabricio Werdum.
What are Alexander Gustafsson’s workout and diet routine like?
As given, Alexander Gustafsson is quite a health-conscious person and does a lot to maintain his body structure. According to him, he trains three to four times a day and focuses on strength.
He invested himself in exercises like deadlifts, pullups, and jerks. During his training camp, Alexander eats chicken, salad, and rice.
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