UFC Fight Night 109 Preview
Everyone loves a good comeback story and in sports, those comeback stories come around all the time including in the world of MMA.
It might actually happen more often as the sport continues to mature and more fighters continue to take their second chances at being one of the greatest ever.
That is a major reason for the UFC running an Ultimate Fighter made up entirely of former TUF contestants that somehow found their way out of the promotion.
Those stories about second chances get everyone behind that fighter as they attempt to climb back into contention from falling so far.
Not all of the comeback stories in MMA are about those fighters that fall so far back and in the UFC that is shown more than anywhere.
The UFC is the most talented promotion in the world as there is no place that has the level of talent and the depth of talent that the UFC roster has.
That level of talent leads to some more unique situations in the UFC and that includes superstars struggling to the point where they fall quickly out of contention.
With the rosters as deep as they are it only takes a few losses to fall further down and as the losses pile up the concentration on that fighter begins to fade away.
It really doesn’t take a lot for a fighter to go from one of the best in the world and a sure future champion to a fighter that people remember when they say “Oh yeah, he used to be so good.”
It is hard not to think of Alexander Gustafsson in that light after being one of the top light heavyweights in the world.
During the reign of Jon Jones, there was nobody that could challenge him as he rose up to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Then came Gustafsson who was the first person that gave Jones a real fight and pushed him to the edge.
In 2013 Gustafsson pushed Jones further than he had ever been pushed and although some believed that the Swede won it was Jones who took the decision win.
Immediately after the fight, it was widely believed that there would be a rematch but Gustafsson dropped and waited to work his way back up the rankings for one of the most highly anticipated rematches in the UFC.
He took a win in his next fight but after an injury cancelled his rematch he had to fight Anthony Johnson to get back to the title.
He took a loss in that fight and then dropped his next fight against Daniel Cormier and all of a sudden the best challenger in the division was on a slump.
He had lost to the top two contenders, despite cutting it close in both, and his next fight was far from those big name main events that he was fighting before.
He beat Jan Blachowicz with a unanimous decision but since that fight in September, he has not been in the octagon.
Meanwhile, He has been heard talking about the future of his career with some seeing it as a sign that he is ready to call it quits.
Gustafsson has some unfinished business though and although some see him as not really into the fight game anymore he is sure to try to find his way back and get that rematch four years in the making.
He beat Blachowicz but his true comeback begins in his home country at UFC Fight Night 109 when he takes on Glover Teixeira.
It isn’t an official contender fight but both Teixeira and Gustafsson are on the comeback trail and an impressive win could put them right in the hunt.
With Jones making his way back to the octagon this summer against Cormier the light heavyweight division might finally become clearer.
That leaves a perfect amount of time for someone like Gustafsson to take a couple of big wins and put himself into the title picture.
Everyone was looking forward to the rematch between Gustafsson and Jones but it never quite happened.
Now is the chance that Gustafsson can take to get back to that matchup and finally take another shot at the title, as long as Jones beats Cormier and stays out of trouble.
After a few years, he has gone from the only man that might be able to beat Jones to just another fight among the crowd.
The real work begins now as he takes on a great Brazilian striker in Teixeira where a win could turn things around and bring him back to the spotlight.
The Sport Addiction 