UFC Fight Night 109: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 109: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira took place on Sunday, May 28, 2017 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 496,000 average viewers (665k peak, 353k prelims). The main event was a five-round light heavyweight bout between Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira — a pairing that had originally been scheduled in 2015 before a Gustafsson injury prevented it.
Gustafsson stopped Teixeira by TKO in round five — both men bloodied, Gustafsson’s right uppercuts accumulating damage until a final cross sent Teixeira to the canvas. After the stoppage, Gustafsson proposed to his girlfriend in the Octagon in front of the Swedish crowd and she accepted. Gustafsson and Teixeira earned Fight of the Night. Damir Hadzovic and Bojan Velickovic earned Performance of the Night.
Gustafsson’s Stockholm Homecoming & A 2-Year Wait
Gustafsson vs. Teixeira had originally been booked to headline UFC Fight Night 69 in June 2015. Gustafsson pulled out with an injury before that event, leaving the card without its intended main event. Two years later, the UFC rescheduled the fight as the Stockholm homecoming main event. The Ericsson Globe — a recognisable spherical Stockholm arena — was the venue for the first UFC visit to Sweden since UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva in January 2013.
Gustafsson’s career positioning entering Stockholm made the homecoming significant beyond the competitive context. He had lost to Jon Jones in their first meeting at UFC 165 in September 2013 in one of the most celebrated LHW title fights in the division’s history, then lost the rematch at UFC 232 in December 2018. His Stockholm performance served as a reminder of his elite LHW credentials — a top-three LHW for much of the decade.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Sunday, May 28, 2017 (Sunday card; first UFC in Stockholm since January 2013)
📍 Venue: Ericsson Globe, Stockholm, Sweden
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 496,000 avg. viewers (665k peak, 353k prelims)
🏆 Main Event: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Glover Teixeira — LHW (5 rounds; originally booked for FN69 in June 2015; Gustafsson’s Stockholm homecoming; both former title challengers)
✅ Result: Gustafsson def. Teixeira via TKO — R5 (FotN $50k each; both bloodied; Gustafsson right uppercut; Teixeira had early success; Gustafsson proposed in the Octagon post-fight)
Main Event: Gustafsson Stops Teixeira in R5 — Then Proposes
Teixeira’s exceptional one-punch knockout power was the opening tactical reality. He landed hard shots in the early rounds that had Gustafsson turning his back to create distance and reset. Both men were bloodied in the first two rounds. The fight had the blood-and-physicality quality that LHW fights between two former title challengers can produce when both commit to offensive engagement.
Gustafsson’s right uppercut took over from round three. His superior hand speed and boxing skill gradually asserted itself against Teixeira’s power but slower output. In round five, three consecutive right uppercuts in quick succession accumulated damage that left Teixeira unable to continue engaging cleanly. A final cross sent him to the canvas and the TKO was waved off. Gustafsson then dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend in the Octagon. She accepted. The Stockholm crowd received the moment with extended applause.
Oezdemir’s 2nd UFC Win, Hadzovic’s Flying Knee, Till & The Card
Volkan Oezdemir’s second UFC fight — a LHW win over Misha Cirkunov — continued the trajectory that had begun with his Houston debut over OSP at FN104 in February. His combination of power striking and defensive awareness made him a viable LHW contender building toward the title shot that eventually materialised at UFC 220 in January 2018. Damir Hadzovic’s flying knee KO of Marcin Held was the card’s most spectacular individual finish and earned Performance of the Night.
Darren Till’s unanimous decision over Jessin Ayari was a step in the Welsh welterweight’s building European UFC career. Till had been developing his UFC record on European cards and would subsequently produce three consecutive notable wins before his UFC WW title fight against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 in September 2018. Bojan Velickovic’s late third-round KO of Nico Musoke — described as Velickovic fighting for his UFC roster spot — produced the other Performance of the Night and kept him in the organisation.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Alexander Gustafsson def. Glover Teixeira — TKO — R5 — LHW (FotN $50k each; 5-round war; both bloodied; Gustafsson right uppercut dominance R3-5; Gustafsson proposed in Octagon post-fight; fight originally booked FN69 June 2015)
Volkan Oezdemir def. Misha Cirkunov — LHW (Oezdemir 2nd UFC fight; building toward title shot; future LHW title challenger)
Omari Akhmedov def. Abdul Razak Alhassan — WW
Jack Hermansson def. Alex Nicholson — MW
Bojan Velickovic def. Nico Musoke — KO R3 (late) — WW (PoN $50k; fighting for UFC roster spot; late counter right hook finish)
Pedro Munhoz def. Damian Stasiak — BW
Preliminary & Early Prelim Card
Trevor Smith def. Chris Camozzi — MW
Joaquim Silva def. Reza Madadi — LW
Nordine Taleb def. Oliver Enkamp — WW
Damir Hadzovic def. Marcin Held — KO (flying knee) — LW (PoN $50k; spectacular flying knee; perfectly timed as Held moved in)
Peter Sobotta def. Ben Saunders — WW
Darren Till def. Jessin Ayari — WW (early career Till; future UFC WW title challenger; building European card record)
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Alexander Gustafsson + Glover Teixeira — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Damir Hadzovic + Bojan Velickovic — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• Alexander Gustafsson’s Stockholm homecoming win — 2 years after the originally planned fight (FN69 June 2015) was cancelled due to injury.
• Octagon marriage proposal — Gustafsson proposed and was accepted in front of the Swedish home crowd post-fight.
• Volkan Oezdemir’s 2nd UFC win — building toward the LHW title shot at UFC 220 in January 2018.
Legacy & Impact
Gustafsson’s Stockholm TKO of Teixeira was his most celebrated post-Jones-fight individual UFC performance. It restored his positioning as a top-two LHW contender and led to the rematch with Jon Jones at UFC 232 in December 2018. The Octagon marriage proposal added a personal narrative layer that extended the Stockholm card’s media coverage beyond competitive results.
Darren Till’s Stockholm win over Ayari was step four of the winning run that produced three more consecutive UFC WW victories and eventually his UFC WW title fight against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 in September 2018. His European card appearances built the record and ranking that justified the title fight booking. Volkan Oezdemir’s second UFC win was the last before his KO finishes of Misha Cirkunov (wait, that was his Stockholm fight) and Jimi Manuwa, which produced the Cormier title fight. Damir Hadzovic’s flying knee of Held was his most viewed individual UFC moment; subsequent losses to Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder limited his trajectory.
FAQ
Why was the Gustafsson vs. Teixeira fight delayed 2 years?
Gustafsson had been booked to fight Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 69 in June 2015. He pulled out with an injury before that event. The nature and timeline of LHW injuries frequently create extended delays: LHW training — involving the physical output of 205 lb athletes at full power — produces joint and structural injuries that require extended recovery periods. The UFC rescheduled the fight for the 2017 Stockholm card, which created the narrative of a two-year delayed homecoming. Both fighters maintained their ranking justification for the fight across the two-year gap.
What made Gustafsson’s right uppercut so effective against Teixeira?
Teixeira’s forward-pressure style — walking in with power punches at his opponent — created the angle that Gustafsson’s right uppercut exploited. As Teixeira bent forward with his forward-pressure walk, the uppercut path to his chin opened. Gustafsson’s height and reach advantage — he is 6’3”, unusually tall for LHW — gave the uppercut more leverage and angle than a shorter fighter would generate from the same position. The cumulative damage of three consecutive right uppercuts in R5 produced the TKO stoppage.
Who was Darren Till at this stage?
Till was a 24-year-old Welsh welterweight from Liverpool who had moved to Rio de Janeiro at age 17 to train MMA at the Brazilian Top Team affiliate. His Stockholm win over Ayari was his fourth UFC fight, building a 5-0-1 UFC record across European cards. He had not yet fought a top-ten ranked opponent. His subsequent career arc produced wins over Donald Cerrone, Jorge Masvidal, and Stephen Thompson — the last giving him the #2 WW ranking and the Woodley title fight at UFC 228 in September 2018 where he lost by submission in round two.
Who was Volkan Oezdemir at this stage?
Oezdemir was a 27-year-old Swiss LHW fighter in his second UFC appearance, having debuted with a split decision over OSP at UFC FN104 in Houston on Super Bowl weekend in February. His Stockholm win over Cirkunov was his second consecutive UFC fight in 2017. He subsequently produced first-round KOs of his next two opponents — Jimi Manuwa at UFC 214 in July 2017 and Volkan Oezdemir... wait, he KO’d Manuwa, then fought Cormier at UFC 220 for the LHW title in January 2018. His 4-0 UFC record produced the title shot in 10 months from his Houston debut.
What was Hadzovic’s flying knee?
Hadzovic was a 29-year-old Bosnian-Swedish lightweight who had debuted in the UFC at FN109 with the Held fight on the early prelim card at Ericsson Globe. His flying knee of Held was perfectly timed: as Held moved forward into range, Hadzovic launched the knee directly into Held’s face, producing an immediate KO. The technique required precise reading of Held’s forward movement and the confidence to commit to the launch. The MixedMartialArts.com recap described the moment as HOLY KNEE. It was Hadzovic’s first UFC appearance.
What was the significance of Glover Teixeira’s career at this point?
Teixeira was 37 years old entering Stockholm and had fought for the UFC LHW Championship against Jon Jones at UFC 172 in April 2014. His Stockholm loss was his second consecutive UFC defeat. His career subsequently recovered: he rebuilt with wins over Corey Anderson, Karl Roberson, Ion Cutelaba, and Anthony Smith from 2018 to 2021, eventually winning the UFC LHW Championship against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 266 in October 2021 at age 42 — one of the sport’s most remarkable late-career championship achievements.
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