In his first appearance since losing a March title fight to Jon Jones, Anthony Smith responded to that defeat by scoring the biggest win of his career in the fourth round of the UFC Fight Night main event in Stockholm, submitting fellow light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson in the Swedish hometown of “The Mauler,” stunning fans at Ericsson Globe Arena in the process.
Following the bout, the 32-year-old Gustafsson, a Swedish MMA pioneer, left his gloves in the middle of the Octagon, signifying the end of his stellar career.
„The show is over,“ said Gustafsson as he addressed his fans.
Gustafsson expended a lot of energy in the opening round thanks to lateral movement and fakes, but it did allow him to keep Smith at bay for much of the frame. Nebraska’s Smith got in some good shots as he stalked, even bloodying the Swede’s leg with a kick, but it was Gustafsson who landed perhaps the best shot of the round, a solid left hand late that got the attention of “Lionheart.”
The action heated up in the second frame, with Smith getting more aggressive, forcing Gustafsson to respond, but “The Mauler” really kicked his game into gear in the third, as he appeared to finally have a read on Smith’s rhythm. Now it was Smith’s turn to fire back, but his punches were doing little to slow down Gustafsson, who landed a kick to the body and then scored a big takedown with 40 seconds left in the round, drawing a roar from the crowd.
Getting busy again in the fourth, Smith’s strikes led to a trip to the mat, and the American took Gustafsson’s back. Gustafsson tried to shake Smith off, but Smith put him back down and fired off hard strikes before sinking in the rear naked choke that forced Gustafsson to tap out at 2:38 of round four.
With the win, the No. 4-ranked Smith moves to 32-14. The No. 2-ranked Gustafsson, a two-time title challenger, retires with an 18-6 record.
