Alexander Gustafsson is one of the best UFC Light Heavyweights to ever step into the octagon.
The 38-year-old came in strong by getting a dominant knockout win over Jared Hamman at UFC 105. He did suffer a setback in his next fight against Phil Davis, who shattered his undefeated streak, but Gustafsson would go on a six-fight winning streak that resulted in a title bout against Jon Jones.
Their UFC 165 fight is a classic that was inducted into the UFC Hall of fame in 2021.
Gustafsson lost that night, and sadly, he wasn’t able to regain the momentum that he had going into that Jon Jones fight. Gustafsson left the UFC in December 2024 after he lost his fourth consecutive fight in a row against Nikita Krylov. Despite never winning a title in UFC, Gustafsson was an elite fighter with numerous fight of the night and performance of the night honors under his belt.
But Gustafsson didn’t feel like an elite fighter by the time he requested his release from the UFC.
"UFC raised me," Gustafsson told Sveacasino.se after an 18-fight run in the promotion. "My whole grown life I've been with the UFC. They more or less made me who I am today. I'm proud to be fighting for them for so many years, three title fights. It's been a really good time for me in my career."
"But I feel now also the UFC is the A-game. The best athletes in the world are competing there. If you don't have it really anymore, you shouldn't really be fighting there. So, I feel that I’ve done my part in the organization. That's how I feel."
Gustafsson now fights in GFL. He still believes that he’s an elite athlete who can compete with high level names, even though he’s not at the UFC level anymore.
"I see myself as an elite athlete but I feel it’s the time for the new generation. I feel like I'm not in my top game anymore," Gustafsson admitted. "It was a while ago. In my opinion, the fighters who fight for the UFC need to be on their top level. It is the best level of fighting in the UFC. I'm not there anymore. I'm still training. I'm still doing my best in training, and I have a couple of fights left in me. But I'm not at the UFC level anymore. That's how I feel. I’m real to myself."