Alexander Gustafsson satte sig åter i vinnarkolumnen med en dominant seger över Jan Blachowicz. Nu ser han fram mot större matcher.
Det var i en intervju på The MMA Hour som Alexander Gustafsson (17-4) fick frågan om vad han tycker om idén att möta sin gamla rival Jon Jones (22-1) härnäst. Då svarade han såhär:
”I am up for suggestions. Why not? Let us see what they say. Whatever they give me, I am down for it. A second fight with Jones, who knows?”
Inte nöjd med prestationen
Den svenske stjärnan tog sin första seger på över två år när han besegrade polacken Jan Blachowicz (19-6) i Hamburg för lite över en vecka sedan. Det var en efterlängtad seger som blev något tuffare än vad Gustafsson väntade sig. Efter matchen var han nöjd med segern, men inte med sin prestation.
”I was not that pleased with my performance. A win is always a win. I did not have my timing really and I could not really get my distance. Blachowicz is a really tough guy and a really good striker. I took one too give one and that is not how I want to fight. I want to put a clinic in. I did not really manage too reach him so I just took the fight to the ground and worked from top … I knew he was tough. It was not a surprise. I knew I had a better reach and that I am taller then him and I have been working on my striking a lot for this fight. And my striking overall with my knees and my kicks but I just could not get my distance in. For the first couple of minutes in the first round I was just lets take this too the ground. I needed to get this win and I did not want to take any risks you know. Blachowicz is a tough guy and he has been in the game for a long time. He is very good in his technique. But I knew I am bigger and I am stronger and I just wanted to get that win.”
Det är snart ett år sedan Gustafsson slogs till ett delat domslut med mästaren Daniel Cormier (18-1). Den långa pausen mellan matcher kan ha varit något som påverkade hans insats.
”It is hard to say what it was. It was just one of those days. I could not get my distance in at all. I connected with a couple of punches and he connected with a couple of punches from a weird angle. It was never any danger. I don’t like to fight ’give on to take one’. I dont want to fight a fight like that. I want to put a clinic in and feel the fight going like I plan it. I just felt the first minutes that he caught me with weird punches from weird angles and that was just it. I decided to work on top with my ground and pound and secure the win. Ring rust can be real, I don’t know.”
Tufft år bakom sig
Även pressen att komma tillbaka med en seger vägde på Arbogasonen. Han gick in i matchen mot Blachowicz som en stor favorit trots att han har ett tufft år bakom sig.
”It has been a tough year for me, everybody knows that. I got stopped here in Stockholm against Anthony Johnson and then I got a split against DC. I had some pressure on. I just knew that however this fight goes, I have too win it, no matter what. I don’t care if i win on submission, KO och decision. I just needed too start from scratch, with something good, a win.”
Han fick till den eftersökta segern. Något som var viktigt för hans framtid. Ännu mer viktigt var att få tillbaka den där speciella känslan av att vara en vinnare igen.
”I just knew that I needed this win. Nothing else is accepted at all. I need that flow. That good feeling of wining. Getting that flow in and you feel good fighting, you feel that you are winning rounds. It is a special feeling you are looking for. I felt that in this last fight and my confidence was there. I was calm for the whole fight like I could do this for ten rounds.”
Väntar på ett samtal
Gustafsson är redan tillbaka i träning och är angelägen om att få kliva in i buren igen innan året är slut. Allt som behövs är ett telefonsamtal.
”I am just waiting for who they want me to fight and when, basically. I am ready to go whenever. I am training right now, no injuries, nothing. I am really excited for what’s next. I have not heard anything yet. I want to take one fight at a time. I just had a good fight with Jan Blachowicz and now lets see what happens. I am just waiting for that call, then we will take it from there.”
