Alexander Gustafsson Reports he Still Gets The Itch to Throw Hands…

It’s been just over a month since Alexander Gustafsson announced he was walking away from fighting. But due to recent comments the Swedish star made, speculation whether Gustafsson could return to the UFC is making the rounds.

Gustafsson announced he was retiring at UFC Stockholm last month, after he was submitted by Anthony Smith. The former light-heavyweight contender’s decision caused a bit of a stir, since Gustafsson is only 32-year’s-old. But, since he had also said a loss to Smith could indicate he’s no longer an elite 205’er, the decision wasn’t exactly out of nowhere.

Well, recently Gustafsson spoke with MMA NYTT, and while talking about his decision to retire, he said this:

“I fought my last fight against Anthony Smith and it didn’t go as planned,” Gustafsson said. “I felt an incredible frustration, I’m a really sore loser and I left my gloves in the cage and felt that it’s enough now. But with that said I still have this tingle in my hands. This is very new, it’s been a month and I’m far from a retired fighter in my way of thinking and such. I’ve made my decision and so on but it takes time to adapt and accept the new things in life and your role in all of it.”

“…MMA has been a large part of my life for a very long time. June first in the Globe Arena was very tough for me and I’m an emotional person, it felt awful after the loss and it felt like ‘game over’ in that moment. I had hoped for a different outcome, but it turned out like it did and somehow I have to move on from that. But of course for every day that passes I miss it more and more.”

It’s interesting to see Gustafsson mention being a “sore loser”, as he seems to be indicating that the decision to retire wasn’t planned. Along with relaying he still has the itch to compete, he also noted that he’s “made my decision”. So, it sounds like Gustafsson might give it some more time, before deciding whether he in fact, he wants to make another run.

Gustafsson (18-6) went 2-3 in his last five bouts, but his three defeats came against top tier competition in Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier and the aforementioned Smith. During that time he took out Glover Teixeira and earned a decision win over Jan Blachowicz. So, if Gustafsson does make a comeback, don’t be surprised if he jumps right back into the title shot mix.