Johnson upsets Gustafsson to get UFC title shot

Nissi Icasiano

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Johnson upsets Gustafsson to get UFC title shot
Johnson improves his professional record to 19-4 and is now riding high on a 9-bout winning streak since his submission loss to Vitor Belfort in January 2012

MANILA, Philippines – Anthony Johnson solidified his status as the next challenger for Jon Jones’ Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight crown by thwarting perennial contender Alexander Gustafsson on Sunday, January 25 in the main event of UFC on FOX 14 at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

The 30-year-old Johnson spoiled Gustafsson’s homecoming as he put away the Swedish fighter with a flurry of punches to score a technical knockout at the 2:15 mark of the first round, shocking nearly 30,000 of his countrymen in attendance.

The scheduled 5-round contest took a drastic shift after a brief halt from referee Marc Goddard, who noticed that Johnson’s eye had been swiped by Gustafsson’s outstretched fingers.

As the long-limbed “Mauler” looked to establish his height and reach advantage upon the restart, Johnson clipped Gustafsson with a counter right hand that dropped him to a knee and then swarmed with crippling follow-up blows.

Johnson never gave his opponent an opening to breathe as he punished Gustafsson with heavy shots while on his back.

Goddard handed Gustafsson multiple warnings to improve his position, but one last right fist from Johnson that snuck under the armpit and snapped his head upward compelled the referee to call the stoppage.

“Jon Jones, I hope you get well brother. Let’s get this championship on and make the crowd excited about this,” Johnson stated in his post-fight interview, referring to the champion’s recent trip to a rehabilitation facility after testing positive for cocaine metabolites prior to his title defense against Daniel Cormier earlier this month at UFC 182.

With the impressive victory over Gustafsson, Johnson improves his professional record to 19-4 and is now riding high on a 9-bout winning streak since his submission loss to Vitor Belfort in January 2012.

On the other hand, Gustafsson downgrades his win-loss card to 16-3 and tastes the first knockout setback in his career.

“I felt great for the few minutes we fought, and he just caught me. I got caught today. That’s what happened,” Gustafsson shared in an emotional manner.

Gustafsson was originally slated to face Jones in a rematch this past September, but he pulled out of the title tilt due to a knee injury.

To date, Gustafsson has provided Jones the most difficult test inside the Octagon, dragging the 205-pound titleholder into deep waters during their championship clash in September 2013.

In other matches, Gegard Mousasi (36-5-2) scored a major upset over Dan Henderson (30-13) by taking out the mixed martial arts legend with a right hand to the temple and follow-up punches in round one.

Ryan Bader (19-4) claimed his fourth-straight victory by outpointing Phil Davis (13-3) via split decision, while Sam Sicilia (14-5) delivered a one-punch knockout at the expense of Akira Corassani (12-6) in the first round of their featherweight showdown. – Rappler.com

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