Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson reached three UFC light-heavyweight title fights: two against Jon Jones and one against Daniel Cormier. The different results matter, as do the wins that earned him those opportunities. This guide follows his UFC career through the July 2022 Krylov bout and explains why his 2019 retirement announcement was not the end of his appearances.
A quick debut, then a difficult lesson
Gustafsson knocked out Jared Hamman in 41 seconds at UFC 105 in November 2009. His next UFC fight ended in a submission loss to Phil Davis. In a 2013 interview, Gustafsson described accepting Davis’s invitation to train at Alliance MMA in San Diego, with the agreement of their coaches. The defeat therefore belongs in his development story alongside the early finishes. Source: UFC interview with Gustafsson.
He then won six consecutive UFC bouts, completing the run with a decision over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on 8 December 2012. Rua was a former light-heavyweight champion, and defeating him helped establish Gustafsson as a challenger for Jones. Source: UFC’s career retrospective.
The first Jones fight: competitive, with a clear official result
At UFC 165 on 21 September 2013, Jones retained his title by unanimous decision: 48–47, 48–47 and 49–46. Gustafsson became the first fighter to take Jones down in a UFC bout, and his boxing made the early rounds competitive. Jones’s stronger finish to the fourth and fifth rounds was part of the eventual outcome. Source: UFC’s fight retrospective.
For readers revisiting the contest, our suggestion is to watch each round before looking at the totals. Note which clean attacks create the advantage, then compare your card with the official result. A close contest can produce a unanimous decision when all three judges choose the same winner. You can record your own choices with our fan MMA scorecard.
The bout entered UFC’s Hall of Fame Fight Wing as part of the class of 2020, whose ceremony took place in September 2021. That honour recognises this particular fight; it does not turn Gustafsson’s decision loss into a championship win. Source: UFC’s ceremony report.
The road to Cormier was not an uninterrupted winning run
Gustafsson returned against Jimi Manuwa on 8 March 2014 and stopped him in the second round. In January 2015, Anthony Johnson then stopped Gustafsson in their Stockholm main event. Source: UFC’s career retrospective.
At UFC 192 on 3 October 2015, Cormier was the defending champion. He retained the belt by split decision: 48–47 and 49–46 for Cormier, with the third judge scoring it 48–47 for Gustafsson. Source: UFC 192 results.
Comparing the two early title challenges is useful because their decision labels answer different questions. All three judges selected Jones in 2013; one selected Gustafsson against Cormier in 2015. That tells us how the panels divided, but the label alone cannot rank how competitive every round was.
Teixeira and the second Jones fight
Gustafsson’s 28 May 2017 win over Glover Teixeira in Stockholm showed his striking over a longer contest. UFC’s report describes repeated uppercuts and several moments when Teixeira was in trouble before the fifth-round knockout. The finish followed sustained work across the fight, rather than a single isolated exchange. Source: UFC’s Stockholm results.
The Jones rematch at UFC 232 on 29 December 2018 ended differently from their first fight. Jones won the vacant light-heavyweight title by TKO at 2:02 of round three, after taking Gustafsson down and landing unanswered ground strikes. Their two meetings therefore produced one decision and one stoppage, both for Jones. Source: UFC 232 main-event report.
Our interpretation is that these fights make Gustafsson more interesting than a simple “boxing specialist” label suggests. Against Teixeira, repeated standing attacks shaped a late finish; against Jones in the rematch, the decisive change came when the fight moved to the ground. The relevant question is where a fighter can make his advantages count against that opponent.
Retirement announcement, heavyweight return, then London
After Anthony Smith submitted him in round four in Stockholm on 1 June 2019, Gustafsson announced his retirement in the Octagon. In UFC’s July 2020 interview, he described that decision as an emotional reaction and discussed returning at heavyweight. This is his account of the change, not evidence that retirement must be permanent whenever it is announced. Source: UFC’s return interview.
Fabricio Werdum submitted Gustafsson by first-round armbar in that July 2020 heavyweight appearance. By July 2022, Gustafsson was again preparing to compete, this time against Nikita Krylov. UFC’s interview before that return also records his continued training at Allstars Training Center. Source: UFC’s July 2022 interview.
Krylov knocked him out at 1:07 of round one in London on 23 July 2022. That appearance is sufficient to show why a career summary cannot end with a claimed permanent retirement after Werdum. Source: UFC’s official result.
Status checked 12 September 2026: UFC’s athlete page labels Gustafsson “Not Fighting” and lists Krylov as his latest UFC bout. That is the scope of this status update; it does not establish whether he will compete again or certify activity outside the UFC. Source: UFC athlete page.