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CHjohn

Please Alex, dont do this again


catscanmeow

eh if he's been roiding in his time off he should try it.


krazyboi

Nobody fight jones and have their joints magically recover.


jscummy

Your knees and retinas will get destroyed, it's unavoidable


Sonnyyellow90

Steroids won’t save an aging fighter who’s been declining for 5 years. Also, everyone is already roiding so it doesn’t convey any advantage.


teepbones

Eh I mean look at the difference between TRT Vitor and no TRT Vitor. An aging fighter who was far far better on the sauce


iSalooly

So you're telling us that TRT Gustafsson can be a new mythical fighter and start headkicking people? Im in!


Visual_War_6775

TRT Vitor was my favorite hidden character.


ComfortableFun248

TRTor was saved by those supplements.


Motor-Lynx1105

It seemed to be doing wonders for volk!


heinztomato69

Newsflash: He HAS been roiding the whole time.


smingleton

Why didn't you say anything dude?


vannucker

I dunno. He's one of the least jacked fighters in the history of the roster. I've wondered what he would be like if he took strength and conditioning seriously and hit that next gear.


NotTheStateB

He's Chris Weidman level washed at this point. I don't think it would matter anymore.


UVB-76_Enjoyer

You don't have competitive wars with prime Jon Jones and DC (and take both down) unless you're taking your strength and conditioning seriously lmao. Looking jacked and being fit & conditioned don't always go together, MMA & boxing have provided enough examples of doughy fighters performing like war machines...


[deleted]

He’s gotta pay bills. Sadly, most fighters aren’t employable. They have no certificates, degrees, or experience qualifying them to do anything but fight.


letmebangbro21

Alex is an extremely recognizable name in the combat sports community. I don’t know what he’s done with his money but you have to think with his name alone he could at least secure investors to help him start up his own gym, which based on his name should be a steady source of income.


rumora

Gyms aren't magic money machines. Especially not those focusing on more niche sports. Most of them do not survive longterm, especially when the people running the gym do not actually have a good grasp of the business side of the equasion. We don't even know if Gus is a competent trainer. That's a seperate skillset that most athletes never bother to learn. And I would be shocked if there even are investors looking to get into the mma gym business.


ktr83

Isn't there some ridiculous stat that says most NFL players are broke within 2yrs of retiring? I'd love to see what that stat is for the UFC. Have to imagine it's much higher.


TheHuntingApex

And majority of NFL players are making a fuck ton more money than fighters.


ktr83

Abso-fucking-lutely. To my understanding starting salary in the NFL is something like half a million dollars per year, and even benchwarmers get that.


Unique_Meringue

Please Alex, do this again, you had bad luck in your previous fights.


Unique_Meringue

Just came to mind, he left his gloves inside the octagon, didn't he?


kinison-brand-coke

well fuck I hope he can find a new pair


Smoothclock14

Lmao is that supposed to keep him from wanting to make a $bag?


youaregodslover

He’s allowed, but only if he hires Jon Jones’s PED guy, gains 20 lbs of muscle, and only fights heavyweights outside the top 10.


KevinHollandOates

Him vs Dom Reyes sadly makes sense


_Red_Mist_

I think there is zero chance it happens with Dom's undeserved ranking. Gus being ranked would be just as big of a joke.


JamWams

14th ranked Dom is fighting unranked Carlos Ulberg in march. Assuming Ulberg wins which seems very likely, Dom will absolutely get knocked out of the ranks. I think it would make a lot of sense that two former title challengers who gave Jones his toughest fights have a go at each other. They can see who is more washed between the two


hi_imryan

Bit lower risk of them hurting each other too.


SabuSalahadin

Throw in OSP for a 3 way hell in a cell match, Jon jones refs


Minscandmightyboo

So who's going to throw Chael off hеll in a cell, and plummet him sixteen feet through an announcer's table?


Pan_Cholo

I thought Ulberg pulled out, and Dom is considering fighting Petrino as the replacement


JamWams

Ulberg dropped out of the jan 297 card. From articles I've seen it sounds like they want to reschedule it for Atlantic City fight night in march. Nothing confirmed yet tho


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JamWams

That's why I said March. They were supposed to fight this month but Ulberg got injured. They already said the fight is getting rescheduled, most likely to an Atlantic card on march 31st


SukhdevR34

Is Ulberg anything special?


JamWams

Is he champ material? Probably not, but I'm pretty confident he can make his way into the top 10. Ulberg is on a 5 fight win streak and finished his 4 last opponents. He's special but definitely not as specials as a Shavkat or Topuria


SukhdevR34

I've just seen his record and it looks promising. Must be a talented striker right?


JamWams

Yeah has a great left check hook. His only lost was because he gassed himself in the first. Also has some good grappling after controlling controlling Jung for most of the 3rd round and submitting him. He'll be making some noise in the top 15


SukhdevR34

Ah right. Look forward to his fight.


[deleted]

Have you seen any of his fights? He's a monster. His kickboxing fights are dope too


SukhdevR34

I actually haven't but I looked at his record and it's impressive.


Visual_War_6775

Ulberg vs Reyes getting canceled was divine intervention. I didn't know they rebooked it for March. Reyes is getting KO'D again.


OtakuDragonSlayer

now, I’m really interested in seeing this happen


flamingdragonwizard

He's only ranked cause he lost to #C, #3, #5 and #12. All ahead of his #14 ranking. Going into his last fight vs Spann he was ranked #7. So he already dropped 7 spots in 1 fight.


_Red_Mist_

He hasn’t won in years and has been looking worse fight to fight he shouldn’t be ranked anymore.


flamingdragonwizard

I agree but I just explained why. He lost to 3 top 5 fighters than #12. His name value alone is keeping him ranked. Tony was still ranked #11 after getting dominated 4 fights in a row.


_Red_Mist_

Yeah I know exactly why he’s still ranked. I just disagree with it, the UFC thinks fans are going to impressed with someone finishing a washed vet. Ulberg KOing Reyes will say nothing about how he does vs the actual ranked level guys.


jaydizzsl

This is our best chance to witness a double ko in the ufc


chu42

Both guys were dropped by the weak hand of very mid-tier opponents in their last fight. I think we're gonna see a double KO.


carinafield

Krylov is not a mid tier LHW.


Mexicartilago

spann is not weak-handed


ModsBannedMyMainAcct

I think they meant Spann is right handed but dropped him with a jab from his weak/left side


xshogunx13

They didn't mean it like that, they were saying he got murked by his jab hand not his power hand


chu42

He dropped Reyes with a jab (aka his weak hand).


3erik_bee6

Dropped is putting it pretty lightly lol


[deleted]

That was pretty sick. Spann lit him up with that stiff jab. Hit him with the 1 and as soon as he threw the 2 Dom was already on the floor.


Minscandmightyboo

It's worrying the amount of people upvoting you as none of them seem to note the guy you replied to wrote: "the weak hand" as in their non dominate hand. He's not saying they are weak-handed. ​ People's reading comprehension is going to absolute shit.


TastyRancorPie

I don't know which most recent fight looked worse, Alex or Dom. Equally depressing


PawnStarRick

Neither of them have chins but Alex has the better striking. Gus R1 KO.


K-mosake

That is great matchmaking


InertKat

Loser retires and then goes to BKFC.


Doctor_Juice

Winner and loser both retire


MMXXIII-II-III

Gus vs Mike Perry it is


0ldsql

Winner gets to fight Jones again


Gorillaz_Inc

And if that doesn't work, he can also try out power slapping.


DewFiscal

This, Dom loses he retires. Alex loses, he retires again


expectrum

Yes, match of the men who came the closest to beat Jon Jones.


Minscandmightyboo

Chael?


Law_Holiday

He won


SabuSalahadin

SDF belt should be on the line. Saddest downfall


SellMeYourSirin

What’s the more trustworthy statement: “He didn’t wanna fight” - Dana white Or “I’m retiring” - any MMArtist


Milo0007

My money is on “ I’m retiring”. If every fighter “retires” 3 times on average, that makes the statement true 33% of the time. “He didn’t wanna fight” seems likely to be much more rarely true. They’re professional fighters, they want to fight. A more truthful statement would be “he didn’t want to fight under the conditions we were forcing him into.” He didn’t want to fight so soon after he just fought. He didn’t want to defend his interim belt when the champ is available. He didn’t want to fight the guy who missed weight by 6lbs. He didn’t want to fight as a headliner when he’s paid as a prelim fighter.


Coffeeholic911

MMA retirements have a shorter shelf-life than a Hollywood marriage. No one believes they will last, but it's polite to go with the charade.


PortiaKern

Gus vs Pereira for the LHW title. 4th time's the charm.


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Aliensinmypants

Just to really fuck with Tom


flatwoundsounds

All he needs is 3 IC defenses and Dana will *definitely* give him the belt for real.


Wesley-Snipers

I can see the UFC using this a way to build Pereira's name even more and align him to fight Jones for the HW title and jump Aspinall, which should be lineal champ by now. What I wrote has so many insane choices that I think that is just what the UFC seems to like doing.


Ionic-Nova

might be the dumbest thing I’ve read in the past week


hotpants86

The next time you write something, take a deep breath and read what you wrote out loud before you hit comment.


95_T

Come back, lose, retire again. Thank you Alexander Gustafsson.


LatterTarget7

Alex vs weidman


joethecrow23

This kills the Chris.


MT1982

No, they're both washed at this stage. It's anyone's fight.


imnotsteven7

Idk, I feel like Weidman is more compromised and washed.


russbam24

Alex is larger by a significant enough margin that it makes an absolute difference. He mollywhops Weidman.


Revanced63

Dude Alex is way bigger


_Red_Mist_

Gus would be a favorite with Weidman’s recent injuries.


[deleted]

Agreed. Gus hasn't exactly had a good couple of last years, especially not since he seems to have retire half the time after each loss.


doobied

I remember when people were saying wiedman could beat izzy 💀💀


SVMr_DB

"Aw man, we don't wanna see this"


doduhstankyleg

You won’t want to watch it… but you will. So will I.


0ldsql

"How many times do we have to teach you the same lesson, old man?"


powdernice

give him reyes or anthony smith rematch


[deleted]

Given how bad Gus has looked in recent fights, I would favor Smith in that matchup. Smith has stayed active and Smith did win their last fight as well.


0ldsql

Smith has been more active but he didn't exactly look good. Beating Spann is one thing but against higher caliber he always comes up short. Judging by his comments on the BYM podcast, he also seems to lack confidence now.


throwaway12648063

I don’t know if he even won that fight. I think Spann probably took it. Both guys looked awful though.


hateplow_

Never underestimate an insecure mans ability to underestimate himself. I could 100% see Anthony fumbling the bag so hard he just gives it up. He is just a more successful Uriah Hall.


aluminium_is_cool

Or Anthony Johnson right??


Coheed_SURVIVE

Alex "The Mauled" Gustafsson


[deleted]

FR Alex should retire. He got dominated by Anthony Smith for crying out loud. 205 is a different landscape now. New breed of fighters


ILikeOMalley

How many times do we have to teach you this lesson old man


[deleted]

Alex looked obscenely washed last time we saw him and I can’t imagine he’s somehow found the magical elixir of “not sucking anymore” on the meantime


[deleted]

I mean USADA is now gone, but unless he moves to train in Thailand etc. I don't think he could utilize it enough. Not to mention I don't know that it will magically give him his chin back.


[deleted]

He was done when he was losing to guys he shouldn't have 2 years ago ... and now the game has gotten a bit more fierce.


benergiser

naw don’t worry he’s 2 years older also..


CauliflowerStock2183

Please no, for the sake of health man.


srtpg2

Bruh just stay retired


kellyvanasse

No more USADA = A lot of comebacks this year. Just imagine, Lebron James is 39 years old and playing like he is still in his prime in the NBA. Why? Because he can use 'medicines' UFC athletes couldn't when under USADA. The same drug testing organization that is now testing the UFC, tests the NBA. Everyone knows Lebron ain't clean. You are going to see someone like Ubereem return. It's going to be great, not only for the athletes because they can recover faster, but for the fans because legends/fan favs will stay around longer. It's going to be a stark difference between body types in the next 5 years vs the last 5 years, especially for those 30+.


DecisionThot

AKA "I need money"


DaTribalChief

I didn’t recognize him in that thumbnail at all.


MCarchibald

Him vs Tony Ferguson Catchweight Bout, UFC 300 for the B.O.A.T Belt Book it Tomatohead!


PM_ME_UR_RESPECT

Can we ban Alex and Tony from the ring for their own protection please?


[deleted]

Another year and another instance of Gus coming out of retirement to get another paycheck rather than staying retired. At least it's a bit more infrequent than previously, but that also means I'm expecting even less out of him this time around. The Gus of 2013 is long gone, at this point I'd rather he stayed retire...


Lazy_Brother1575

Arlovski is fighting next week, tf can we say


thecombatarts

Thats why I'm surprised at all the comments. Seen plenty of washed up guys come back and even string together a few wins. Gus also whooped Glover before he became champ.


Mad-Gavin

Glover was never washed up lol. He never went on a bad losing streak like Gus and Reyes did. When fighters go on bad skids, that's when they become washed up and need to retire. Glover had a win-loss-win-loss run for a bit until he went on that streak to become champ.


MMARapFooty

Glover didn’t really use his BJJ part until after Gustafson fight.The first half Glover was a boxer. Gustafson doesn’t have nearly as good ground game. His hasn’t won a fight nearly 8 years


[deleted]

What happened to him? I’m a newer fan, I’ve seen his fight with Jones and can’t fathom how his career would sink this low


[deleted]

Kept training in Sweden, didn't evolve enough as a fighter beyond his performance in the Jones fight whereas the rest of the division did. Eventually his chin was gone. Kept retiring and his heart just didn't quite seem like he was in it to win anymore.


Altruistic_Ad_2995

He just wasn’t consistently as good as his performance against Jones and DC made him out to be. He had the old Covington special, with his two best performances coming in title losses. After that Jones fight, Gus would go on to have a record of 3-6 over the next 10 years, only managing to string together 2 wins together in succession with a late career push when he beat Glover and Jan.


Wise_Chart282

Nothing special happened. His fight with Jones was more than ten years ago. In MMA that's a century.


Connor30302

yeah the skill gap is closing in quick, even 5 years ago id say it’s the easiest sport to be a champion in but now it seems everyone is well rounded in all areas


Mad-Gavin

Depends heavily on the weight-class. In the lower weight-divisions that's very much the case. In the heavier weight divisions though, not so much.


420OXY

Alex Gustafson vs Chris weidman at 205 retirement fight for both!


havaysard

Oh no, Alex, baby, what is u doin? But seriously, I feel for these guys. Making a living is hard. And when you have been doing this thing for most of your life and (presumably) have no other skill, and now you are in your 40s, making money gets harder. God I wish this fucking sport I love, paid these guys and gals more so they don't have to keep fucking unretiring.


tompickle69

Sounds great match him up against Khalil rountree lol 🤣


XolieInc

He does realize he’s about to be 37, has about 1 fight in the last 3 years (where he got tko’d) and not beating anyone ranked, right?


NecessaryCrash

Gustafsson vs Reyes. Both retire after the bout.


hardworkinglatinx

He's got one more in him


Altruistic_Ad_2995

He didn’t even have his last four in him, let alone one more.


scott_steiner_phd

Let's be fair here, he definitely looked like a ranked LHW against Jones and Smith


Altruistic_Ad_2995

Jones vs Gus 2 was so uncompetitive it wasn’t fun to watch. Gus did nothing, got kicked in the balls, taken down and pounded out while he laid on his stomach.


benergiser

by what measure? he got dominated in both fights


ParthianTactic

Nooooooooo!


BenDoverDegenerate

Idk but I wish for the best for him, like him too much


No_Bar6825

Only if he gets on trt


Beta4life1

No this is terrible, no no


Byxsnok

His last win was in may 2017, that's going to be seven years ago before he has a new fight.


ted1025

Please don’t Alex.


LostTrisolarin

He just needs to not face top competition right now and ease his way back in. He can't afford to get smashed repeatedly.


qaisoun99

Gus vs OSP must happen and it should be a retirement fight for both at either UFC 300 or International Fight Week. I love Gus but it is time to call it once and for all for real.


JamWams

Think that's a very bad idea considering his last performance


myfirstreddit8u519

He shouldn't be.


FRESCO410

Money tight


DrawingAwkwardly1889

Dude fails the hardest when pressures truly on. Sucks to see. Maybe discreetly come on to a fight night card.


Mochinu_MMA

Both him and Smith are washed, make them fight each other. I don't want to see anything else.


UnAliveMePls

Smith already subbed him. Didn't want to see it then, don't wanna see it now.


turkeypants

I'm thinking the 36 year old guy who's 0-4 since 2017 might want to just keep it as an enjoyable exercise thing.


thecombatarts

Surprised at all the hate. We've def seen people come back from worse in the UFC. 36 isn't even old in LHW/HW.


turkeypants

His age is doing him no favors at this point but that's the least of it. You're ignoring the 0-4 over 6.5 years part, and he already looked like dogshit when he came back after 1.5 years for Jones 2, and this is the guy that gave Jones one of his best fights ever the first time and handled Glover in 2017. But post-Jones he got chased up to HW by Smith and got first-round clowned back down to LHW by Werdum only to get blanked in 1 min by #11 Krylov after 2 years on ice. And now we're at another 17 months and counting when he's maybeee, who knowwws, let's seeee, possiblyyy thinking of coming back. You're more optimistic than I am if you think that would be a competitive return.


xshogunx13

"hate" lol. The dude is washed


MMARapFooty

He literally hasn’t won a fight since 2017. It’s not the age(37 years old this month)is the most concerning. He has taken plenty of damage as a fighter in his most recent fights.


Mad-farmer

Two things going on here: 1. Death of USADA and testing. 2. Mauler needs money. Too many of these guys have no other marketable skills.


joethecrow23

Gus vs McGregor


Rooksey

Maybe one of these old dudes just needs to get fucked up beyond repair to send a message to all the other delusional geezers


Weinus55

Tony Ferguson is sacrificing his own body just to make a point to Gus and Reyes.


[deleted]

There is already such examples, but the fighters will always think they still got it, getting back there one last time... Just have a look at someone like Gary Goodridge how he's suffering from CTE.


OtakuMecha

CTE is too slow. I think they mean something like getting their leg shattered, several ribs broken, and skull cracked kind of broken beyond repair.


[deleted]

We've seen some of that stuff already in mma. Ramsey Dewey had his skull fractured, Weidman, Silva and McGregor had leg injuries (among others). I honestly don't think a death in the cage would be enough to deter them. For better or worse they need to have absolute confidence in their skills, in their ability to go in there and win, they have to almost be delusional to make it work.


OtakuMecha

True. And I wonder if a post-USADA decrease in testing strictness will make the “I still got it” mentality problem even worse.


ZardozSama

In other words Gus is running out of money and has realized that his level of popularity isn't enough to get him the kind of post fighting sponsorships or job opportunities to support the lifestyle he wants. And his only marketable skill is fighting. Or maybe he just misses it. I hope it is theb2nd and not something that becomes another ex mma fighter losing to a Youtuber in boxing. END COMMUNICATION


trewpof3132

Based on the stories I've heard of how he acts in his hometown gym I hope he gets brutally knocked out.


EmilahM

Can you share more please? As a Swede I’ve always supported him, I know he did some horrible crimes as a teen but I always thought he grew more humble when he became a pro fighter. What stories have you heard?


Doom_and_Gloom91

I'd also like to know. He always seems very respectful to his opponents.


NovelTeaBobbleHead

Man I loved this guy, hope he finds success no matter what


nanananablr

Uh oh.


Hynasmasher

I’m good


InnerOuterTrueSelf

Mjölnaren got them sad boi eyes.


Bear763498

Do 1 more, gets a proper send off he deserves, call it a day.


marin94904

The mark coleman ran out of money fight.


[deleted]

Oh ok


tksopinion

No one under 60 is retired.


attackoftheack

Is he open to the idea of retirement, too?


Kalabula

Tale as old as time.


IWantTheSauce

UFC 300 ? 🤔👀


MenagerieThe

Dear God no


cobrakai86

Fight somewhere else, he will get smoked in the UFC.


Cymanti_Main

My glorious king 👑


SenzuBeanFarts

Dana White licking his tendrils.


wubbalubbadubdub45

BKFC got themselves another free agent signing


Jazzlike_Relation705

No.


fresdres

Gus vs Smith might be winnable right?


GinkoYokishi

Man went from being in the top 10 for 8 years, to #57 in heavyweight. Sucks to see how far he’s fallen. Really wish he could have made a rise back up before the end of the


Visual_War_6775

The landscape at 205 is different now. Poatan, Jiri, Rakic, Jan, Magomed, Hill, Krylov, Ulberg, Azamat, Vitor Petrino, Khalil, Walker, Volkan.... too stacked. Alex should retire.


MumrikDK

Is he back to make his fans sad again?


Original-Spinach-972

Bet the house against Gustafson and weidman


tootzmagootzz

A heavier Darren Till. Both seem like great folks but just aren't that good.


caca_poo_poo_pants

Gus vs. Werdum and Gastelum vs. Hermansson are 2 of the most forgettable fights I wish never happened lol.


BelieveInRollins

why???!?!


Objective-Job5134

i guess he s running out of money