UFC Stockholm: Alexander Gustafsson plans to control Anthony Smith's storm
On Thursday, UFC light heavyweight contenders Alexander Gustafsson (18-5) and Anthony Smith (31-14) faced off on stage for photographers in attendance to capture the close-quarters tension. The two men delivered, until they both broke out in smiles and chuckles and turned away from one another.
Both men are among the division’s most aggressive inside the cage, but leading up to their main event in Gustafsson’s home town of Stockholm, Sweden, the lack of personal animosity towards one another made any pretense of anger unnatural. Their aggression is controlled, professional, especially since both men clearly like one another personally.
“He’s a great guy,” Gustafsson told reporters before the stare down.
“He’s just doing his thing, I’m doing my thing, and we’re both professionals … on Saturday, we have work to do but there’s no bad blood.”
There is, however, eagerness to engage in battle, despite the lack of animosity. “I can’t wait to fight him,” Gustafsson continued.
“He’s a force to be counted with here in our division. He’s a tough guy … I’m ready for him.”
Gustafsson also expects for Smith to be the version of himself that won three-straight UFC fights by finish in 2018, and not the one who lost a decision to Jon Jones in March. “Anthony wasn’t really himself in the fight against Jones,” Gustafsson reasoned.
“We all saw that. This guy comes to fight. He comes with a lot of power, a lot of force. He … starts hard, every time so I’m ready for it.”
Gustafsson doesn’t promise to match Smith in aggression, per se, but the Swede does plan to control the storm he expects to develop on fight night. “I expect it to be wild,” he said.
“It’s going to be entertaining, for sure … Anthony’s going to come in, hard, hard and fast. I’m just going to have to control him.”
More from Yahoo Sports:
