"Gus please hang them up. My heart can't take this" - fans plead with Alexander Gustafsson to retire after brutal KO loss to Nikita Krylov at UFC London

Several fans in the MMA community are pleading with Alexander Gustafsson to retire after his vicious KO loss against Nikita Krylov. Gustafsson faced Krylov in a light heavyweight bout at tonight’s UFC London event, but the fight didn’t last long as viewers witnessed ‘Gus’ quickly lose via first-round KO.

The UFC posted a tweet regarding Gustafsson’s loss to Krylov via its official Twitter account. In response to the UFC’s tweet, as well as other social media updates regarding the brutal knockout, fans expressed their concern for ‘The Mauler’.

A few tweets requesting the three-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger have been displayed below:

Similarly, other fans thanked Gustafsson for all the great memories he’s given the MMA world over the years. They also wished him well for his future and suggested that he ought to retire.

One fan explained:

“Man I feel bad for Gust back in the day he was championship level, I think it's time for him to retire.”

Another fan referenced Gustafsson’s retirement in 2019 and eventual return, stating:

“It’s a bummer that he unretired. Sad ending to a once great fighter.”

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Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson believes a “prime” Alexander Gustafsson would beat Jiri Prochazka

Stephen Thompson recently broke down a hypothetical matchup between Alexander Gustafsson and reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.

The former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger opined that when ‘Gus’ was in his prime, he could have defeated Prochazka. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, ‘Wonderboy’ said:

“I wish Alexander Gustafsson was still in the game or in his prime right now. I think he could beat [Prochazka]... I think he could beat everybody. He was beating everybody. Just the only person that he couldn’t beat was Jon Jones. You know what I mean? Golly! That was something.”

Watch ‘Wonderboy’ discuss the topic at 37:28 in the video below:

Stephen Thompson alluded to the fact that in Gustafsson's prime, 'The Mauler' only came up short against MMA legends Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, indicating that Gustafsson was indeed a phenomenal fighter.

Presently, Gustafsson is on a four-fight losing streak. The Swedish MMA stalwart’s last victory was a fifth-round KO over Glover Teixeira in May 2017. As of this time, it’s unknown as to whether or not ‘Gus’ will heed his fans’ advice and bid adieu to the sport of MMA.