One fighter set to compete at UFC Abu Dhabi needed just over a minute to put away a leading rival from the career of Jon Jones.
After staging its latest pay-per-view event in New Orleans, where Dustin Poirier retired against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 318, MMA’s leading promotion has headed back to the Middle East.
The Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi once again plays host to UFC action this Saturday, and an important showdown goes down in the headliner as Robert Whittaker meets the charging Reinier de Ridder at 185 pounds.
The stage will be set for their five-round clash by a number of notable names, including former bantamweight champion Petr Yan, the one-eyed Shara Magomedov, and a top-10 light heavyweight who was responsible for one of 2022’s most vicious knockouts.
Nikita Krylov brutally starched Alexander Gustafsson in the Swede’s last UFC fight
Nikita Krylov is currently slated to open the UFC Abu Dhabi main card on July 26, as ‘The Miner’ defends his No. 10 ranking against the powerful Bogdan Guskov.
While Guskov has a strong ability to put opponents away with his fists, Krylov is also no stranger to shutting the lights out — just ask Alexander Gustafsson.
The multi-time former UFC light heavyweight title challenger returned to 205 pounds at the UFC London event in July 2022 after a failed debut in the heavyweight division. ‘The Mauler’ was looking to regain some form after losing three on the bounce since knocking out Glover Teixeira. Instead, though, he fell to the same fate that he sent the Brazilian to five years earlier.
Krylov put Gustafsson out in just 67 seconds, dropping the Swedish fighter with an uppercut during a clinch exchange before sealing the deal with some unrelenting ground-and-pound.
Gustafsson did not compete again before being released in December 2024.
Jon Jones named Alexander Gustafsson as the ‘best opponent’ from his UFC career
Though Gustafsson finished his UFC career in disappointing and brutal fashion against Krylov, the fan favorite will still be fondly remembered for his exploits inside the Octagon during his prime.
One of his top moments came at UFC 165 in 2013, when Gustafsson gave Jones all he could handle across five rounds in Toronto. ‘The Mauler’ came out on the wrong side of a controversial decision but firmly played his part in the Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, and a clash that would later book his spot in the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the 2021 class.
And although Gustafsson was beaten comfortably by Jones in their rematch, that did not stop ‘Bones’ from naming the Swedish veteran as the “best opponent” from his career during a Q&A session following a seminar in Thailand.
“My best opponent would have to have been, what’s his name, Alexander Gustafsson,” Jones said. “He was my best opponent, yeah.
“What was it, Switzerland or Sweden? Yeah, Sweden. Yeah, he was my best opponent, he really pushed me, and he was the only person to take me down in the UFC.
“Man, he cut me open and made me dig really hard,” Jones added.
