Alexander Gustafsson has come to terms with where he’s at in his MMA career.
Gustafsson (18-8) is widely considered one of the best UFC fighters to never win a title. He pushed both Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier to the brink in light heavyweight title fights but fell short.
Gustafsson, 38, is a former three-time UFC title challenger, but after four consecutive losses in the octagon, the All Stars Gym Sweden fighter knew it was time to move on.
“The UFC is the A-game,” Gustafsson said in an interview with Sveacasino.se. “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. It felt really weird in the beginning, because it didn’t really hit me until later on.
“I look back at my career in the UFC with a lot of pride and a lot of honor, and just to be able to fight for them for so long. I’ve always seen myself as a UFC fighter. When I present myself, I’m a UFC fighter. When you change a chapter in your life, you go from one to another – it was a big moment for me.”
Gustafsson is not done fighting. The 38-year-old recently signed with the Global Fight League but is yet to have a fight booked.
“I see myself as an elite athlete, but I feel it’s the time for the new generation,” Gustafsson said. “I feel like I’m not in my top game anymore. 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. My teammates, my team is real to me. We have been discussing this for a long time. I don’t have the real fire anymore or the hunger. It was a decision to make, and I believe we made the right decision. And I feel good about it, too. I could have done another UFC fight, of course, but I feel a little bit of the pressure because you’re fighting for the best organization in the world.
“You need to deliver. I’m not competing to accept a loss. I feel I’m not able to deliver like I did many years before. You need to think about yourself, and also I’m not 25-28 anymore. I’m 38 years old. I have a life. I have a family. I’m not really worried about the damage you take in the fight. It’s more the training camps you have. I’ve done many training camps in my career, and the training camp leading up to the fight, you need to deliver on the highest level. It’s a little bit of pressure because you need to recover between sessions. There are many factors involved in the whole thing. That’s why we made the decision. We also have the GFL contract on the table, too. I have some other offers, too. I feel like I’m not going to do this for a very long time, so let’s make the best of it, and squeeze it out as much as possible. Then I’m done.”
