Q&A with Alexander Gustafsson

Darragh Creamer octobre 12, 2010

With two UFC fights already under his belt, Alexander Gustafsson will look to deliver a career-defining performance in London on Saturday when he takes on veteran striker Cyrille Diabate. UFC.com’s Darragh Creamer recently had the opportunity to talk to “The Mauler”.

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview during your fight prep. Before we talk about specifics, can you tell us a little about your background in martial arts and MMA?
AG: I started to train MMA in August 2006 and I came from boxing.

Have you competed in other sports or martial arts?
AG: Yes in amateur boxing.

What would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
AG: My greatest strength is my striking and my biggest weakness is wrestling I would say.

Only one of your fights has ever gone the distance, is that something you're proud of?
AG: No, I would love to go the distance; I think it would be good experience for me.

How is your preparation going?
AG: My preparation is going really well; I'm in the best shape I have ever been.

What sort of things do you feel you need to be aware of against Diabaté?
AG: Keep my chin down and my guard up.

What do you think is your greatest advantage or disadvantage against Cyrille?
AG: My biggest advantages are my aggression and my intensity. We will just have to see if I have any disadvantages.

You're coming off a UFC loss; does that add to the pressure going into the fight?
AG: I don’t feel any pressure going into this fight; I will go all in and do my best to win.

How is the UFC different to fighting in other events?
AG: It is completely different. UFC are professionals.

Since you arrived at the UFC, has it changed anything in your training or in life in general?
AG: Yes. I see my training as a job now. Everything that I do is designed to make my training better.

How does it feel fighting another European on a major UFC fight card?
AG: It feels very good. I can’t wait to get in there.

You represent a younger generation of European MMA fighters. What do you think is different for young fighters like you than for guys like Cyrille, who started before the sport was well established?
AG: We are much better at adapting to the fight than the older generation.

When you started fighting, did you expect to be fighting in the UFC at only 23-years old?
AG: I started fighting in 2006 and no I didn’t. (Smiles)

Do you think that MMA in Europe has caught up with fighters from the US, Brazil and other countries?
Yes, absolutely!

Comments

UFC 162 En direct de Las Vegas

Silva vs Weidman

samedi, juillet 6

7pm/10pm

PTET

Las Vegas, Nevada

Acheter des billets

Comment regarder

Médias

Récent

Populaire

Enter at www.H-D.com/UFC to get your photo on a UFC canvas, a brand new motorcycle, and training session with Cain Velasquez.

2013-06-19

Future UFC Hall of Famers Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar talk about fighter style and being one-upped by GSP.

2013-06-19

Watch as middleweight champions Anderson Silva lands a devastating knee to the body against light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar in the Move of the Week.

2013-06-19

Chris Weidman recognizes the danger that Anderson Silva poses, but has every intention of moving forward and demanding respect from the champion.

2013-06-20

N. Diaz vs R. Lawler, N. Diaz vs K. Oishi, and D. Sanchez vs B. Gassaway sont à l'affiche lors de cet épisode de la série UFC Unleashed.

2005-10-31

Lors de son second combat dans l'Octogone, Anderson Silva a défié Rich Franklin pour la ceinture des poids moyens de l'UFC. Voyez gratuitement le combat ici!

2013-06-17

Lors de l'UFC 135, Jon Jones a défendu son titre de champion des poids mi-lourds après avoir passé un étranglement arrière à Rampage Jackson.

2013-04-24

In 2008, middleweight champion Anderson Silva moved up in weight to 205 see if his power would still be a threat at light heavyweight. It was.

2013-06-18

Q&A with Alexander Gustafsson

Comments

Related Topics

Related News

Médias