Alexander Gustafsson reveals why he prematurely retired from the UFC last year

Alexander Gustafsson hasn't been the most active fighter in recent years. From 2016 to 2019, he only fought four times, out of which he won two and lost his final two fights.

Those final two fights, of course, included a rematch against Jon Jones, where he was finished decisively in the third round, followed by a loss to Anthony Smith in the fourth round.

Following his loss to Smith in his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden, Alexander Gustafsson revealed that he was retiring from MMA, concluding an incredible career where he ranked among the best Light Heavyweights in the world.

However, Alexander Gustafsson is set to return this weekend for the first time in over a year, and this time, he's going to be debuting in the Heavyweight division, facing former Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum. He told MMA Fighting that his "retirement" last year was more of an emotional decision at the time:

“It was an emotional moment. Nothing else. I was just heartbroken. It was a tough fight. It was in Stockholm. It was against a guy I know I’ve got the tools to beat but I didn’t obviously.

“It was a tough night and my emotions and thoughts were just chaos in my head.”

Alexander Gustafsson feels it's the right time to make the jump to Heavyweight

Alexander Gustafsson told MMA Fighting that he feels it's the right time for him to make a jump in weight class. He's a big person and feels that he'll have a power advantage at Heavyweight. It's going to be interesting to see how he manages the jump against a former Heavyweight Champion.

There was a Middleweight to Light Heavyweight exodus for multiple fighters in 2019 and for the most part, it didn't work out. Will history repeat itself?