UFC Fight Night Stockholm takens place this Sunday (not Saturday). It may not be the most stacked card we’ve ever seen, but it has a few gems on it. Let’s break down the main event:
Alexander Gustafsson vs Glover Teixeira
The main event of UFC Fight Night Stockholm features a very intriguing light-heavyweight bout. Both Gustafsson and Teixeira are top 5 fighters. Gustafsson has fought for the belt twice (losing both times by close split decision) while Teixeira fought once (and lost by unanimous decision). That being said, both are still very capable of making another run at the title. The division is pretty bare, so it doesn’t take much to warrant a title shot; especially when you’re Gustafsson and you arguably defeated Jon Jones already.
Gustafsson is fresh off a decision win over Jan Blachowicz while Teixeira is coming off a decision over Jarod Cannonier. They both denied up-and-coming contenders. If Gustafsson can win impressively here, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a title shot. Teixeira’s case is a little harder to make though. It all depends on how DC vs Jones II goes. We have yet to see Teixeira vs DC – that’s an interesting fight. But I’m sure we all want to see Jones vs Gustafsson II.
The match up
Gustafsson, as we know, is a long and lanky striker. He uses his distance well and likes to fire long-range uppercuts (which Teixeira has been susceptible to in the past). Additionally, he’s dangerous in the clinch with his knees.
Over the course of his career, Gustafsson has been improving and incorporating more wrestling and grappling into his arsenal. He was the first man to take Jon Jones down, and he even put DC on the mat too. His takedowns are very underrated. Against Blachowicz, we saw Gustafsson dominate from the top position as he used his long arms and legs to stay postured up. From here, he can rain down barrages of punches and elbows.
Gustafsson’s biggest weakness has always been his striking defense. He has a good chin on him, but tends to get caught running into punches. He’s not the most explosive fight, so his movements can be easy to predict. More times than not though, his offense more than makes up for any damage he absorbs.
Teixeira on the other hand is a shorter, stockier boxer with a lot tighter defense. He holds his hands high, keeps his chin tucked, and fires his favorite combination – overhand right, left hook. This has been his go-to for years and I don’t expect that will change.
He too has some very underrated grappling. His takedowns are top notch. He has more of a suffocating jiu-jitsu approach than Gustafsson does as he’ll look for control and sink his opponent into submissions like arm-triangles.
Teixeira also likes to crowd his opponent and get them against the cage. Gustafsson’s ring craft will be tested in this fight.
My pick
I’m picking Gustafsson to win this main event of UFC Fight Night Stockholm. Even though Teixeira has some tools tailor-made for beating Gustafsson, the same can be said for the Swede. I suspect Gustafsson is a bit fresher too in this point of his career. Both fighters have a lot of miles on them, but Teixeira looks worse for the wear.
A big key to this fight will be Gustafsson’s ability to move on the outside. We know Teixeira will pressure forward and try to land his right hand or left hook, but Gustafsson’s counter-uppercuts will be money. We saw Teixeira duck into Another Johnson’s uppercut at UFC 205, knocking him out cold. Gustafsson’s doesn’t really have one-punch KO power, but he could easily follow it up with a finishing barrage.
I’m very curious who is going to win the wrestling exchanges as both are very underrated. Teixeira is the stronger man, but Gustafsson has the length. I doubt Teixeira will be able to control the long frame of the Swede.
I’m predicting a rather quick and emphatic win for Gustafsson. He may aborb some shots as Teixeira bullies him around the Octagon, but eventually he’ll get Teixeira running into his uppercuts and/or knees. First or second round TKO in front of his home crowd.
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