Former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson is staying away from heavyweight for now and will face Paul Craig at the UFC London show.
The news was first reported by Frontkick.Online. The fight will take place in London, England on September 4. In addition, Gustafsson will go back to light heavyweight and look for another run up the ladder. The former title challenger has a win over Glover Teixeira who is fighting for the title later this year.
Gustafsson will return to light heavyweight after a failed debut against former champion Fabricio Werdum. The Swedish legend will look to erase recent memories since he was unsuccessful in his last three Octagon appearances. In particular, Gustafsson lost to Jon Jones back in 2018 for a second time but this time around he was finished on the mat. Then, “The Mauler” was finished by Anthony Smith and as aforementioned, Werdum by submission back-to-back.
Gustafsson, 34, recently hinted at a comeback, and now will look to do so on Sept. 4. Since Jon Jones left the division in pursuit of heavyweight gold, perhaps “The Mauler” sees a new opening in the weight class. Overall, a fight between Craig would definitely get the attention back in his sails.
Craig, 33, is a submission specialist in the light heavyweight division. In fact, he added to those accolades in his last fight at UFC 263 against the top unbeaten prospect, Jamahal Hill. Despite a frenetic first round, it ended with Craig twisting Hill’s arm off until it dislocated. While no one is quite sure if Hill tapped to the submission or not, regardless, the referee saw enough and put a stop to the contest.
Craig has never been hotter in the UFC, and he is a proven finisher. Even though opponents have an idea of where he plans to take the fight, many are still getting caught in his slick submissions. One thing is for sure, once these two are locked in the cage together, we will all find out if Craig is the title contender that he looked like in his last fight on pay-per-view.
Who is your early pick between Paul Craig and Alexander Gustafsson?
