Gustafsson: I’m better now, can beat Jones and DC
Alexander Gustafsson: “I believe and I know I can beat DC and Jones now. I can’t wait to show everyone the new and improved Alex.”
UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson is 1-3 his last four, with title shot losses to Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, plus a title eliminator loss to Anthony Johnson?. He has not fought in eight months. However, in a recent interview with Jim Edwards for FloCombat, ‘The Mauler’ said things are different now.
“I believe and I know I can beat DC and Jones now,” said Gustafson. “I can’t wait to show everyone the new and improved Alex.”
“I’ve been close to being a champion before, but I still believe I’ve got a lot to learn. That’s why I’ve used this time away from competition to really focus on sharpening all of my skills. I truly believe I’ve not yet reached my full potential. I’ve still so much to give, and I’m only 29 years old. I have a good few years left in me and I feel good—actually, I feel great—and I’m ready to go now.”
“I’ve been working on a lot of my techniques in the gym, but I’ve also been trying to enjoy what I do and just relax a little. I’m listening more now, and not stressing about stuff. Before, I would be hard on myself and just keep pushing to keep going forward and faster, but now I just rein myself back to a nice level. Just being more calm and relaxed has made me so motivated to compete again now.”
Gustafsson fights Poland’s unranked Jan B?achowicz in the main event of UFC Fight Night Hamburg on September 23.
“I think it’s going to be a really good fight actually, and I think Jan is going to be a tough opponent for me,” said Gustafsson. “It took them a while to find me someone, and we’ve been searching someone for quite some time, but for different reasons, none of the top ranked guys could fight, so they’ve given me an opponent, and he’s a familiar one.
Jan is a guy I have trained with a couple of times, and I know him quite well, and I know he’s a good fighter. It’s going to be a great card, and this will be a good test for me when I return.”
Gus also said he is prepared to step into a fight on short notice, should the need arise.
