On Friday at UFC 141, fast-rising Swedish light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson defeated an opponent 16 years older with 18 more pro fights and a decade more experience.
Gustafsson now has won four straight fights, and his lone blemish came to top contender Phil Davis.
But before we all get ahead of ourselves, tap the breaks on the title talk, Gustafsson said.
With a first-round TKO victory over Vladimir Matyushenko (26-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC), Gustafsson (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) finally ended a streak of six consecutive decisions that kicked off the UFC 141 card, which took place at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. The pay-per-view fight lasted little more than two minutes after Gustafsson tagged a charging Matyushenko with a quick right jab. "The Janitor" hit the mat, and Gustafsson poured on the punishment to get the TKO stoppage.
Like so many other opponents, Matyushenko struggled to deal with Gustafsson's obvious reach and height advantage.
"That was my game plan, my tactic," he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after the show. "He's a strong guy with a lot of fights, and he's been in there a lot of years. I just wanted to keep my distance and use my reach."
Another notable 205-pounder has used his height and reach to shoot up the division's rankings. In fact, it led him to the light-heavyweight title in lightning-quick fashion. That fighter? Current champ Jon Jones.
But don't expect a Jones vs. Gustafsson matchup to happen in the immediate future.
"I think it's too early for that," Gustafsson said. "I just want to take one fight at a time and win my fights and climb the rankings."
According to UFC president Dana White, Gustafsson has proven he deserves that opportunity. It's easy to forget that Matyushenko was 13-2 prior to UFC 141 and that he made his UFC debut when Gustafsson was just 14. He's faced a who's who of MMA, so as far as White it concerned, beating him means Gustafsson is ready for the division's elite.
"He looked good," White said. "Matyushenko is a guy I have a lot of respect for. I usually call him the gatekeeper. When you beat Matyushenko, you know you're ready to step up to the next level and take some big fights."
It's not clear whom Gustafsson will fight next (though a top-10 light heavyweight seems likely). But as far as Gustafsson is concerned, he has the perfect place. For the first time ever, the UFC ventures to his home country when UFC on FUEL TV 2 takes place April 14 in Stockholm.
Will Gustafsson be part of the card?
"I really hope so," he said. "That would be awesome. I can't wait for that one."
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