"The show is over, guys."
Just like that, Alexander Gustafsson has seemingly retired from the UFC and professional mixed martial arts. The main event of UFC Fight Night 153, Gustafsson was fighting in front of his home crowd of Stockholm, seemingly a perfect setting to say his farewell from the sport.
The fight itself was filled with some action-packed moments. Heading into the fourth round, it actually looked like Gustafsson was in control, but things change quickly in the UFC. After a failed takedown attempt from Gustafsson, Anthony Smith took back control. Relying on his weight to hold Gustafsson down, Smith landed a few devastating elbows to open up his defenses and sink in the rear-naked choke. With his oxygen supply being choked off, Gustafsson was forced to submit in the fourth round.
A visibily disappointed Gustafsson said his emotional goodbye to the sport during his post-match interview.
The No. 2 light heavyweight fighter heading into the match, Gustafsson has had multiple opportunities to win the light heavyweight belt throughout his career but always came up short. He lost to Jon Jones by unanimous decision at UFC 165 in September 2013. He then lost by split decision to Daniel Cormier at UFC 192. His most recent opportunity came as a rematch against Jon Jones at UFC 232 in December 2018; he was TKO'd in the third round. Always a threat in the Octagon, it's sad to see Gustafsson retire without having hoisted the belt.
While Gustafsson's apparent retirement will likely dominate the headlines coming out of UFC Stockholm, it shouldn't take anything away from Anthony Smith's performance. Like his opponent, Smith was coming off loss to Jon Jones. Smith lost to Jones by unanimous decision at UFC 235 in March, a fight in which he admitted he was lacksadaisical in his approach.
Coming into UFC Stockholm, Smith promised to be more aggressive and it showed. But while people think of him as a power puncher (and he his), he reminded fans that he's also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ranked No. 4 in the light heavyweight division, Anthony Smith remains a contender for the title following his win and Gustafsson's retirement.