A couple of the top-ranked light heavyweight contenders in the entire world are set to square off at the spring, and here are my first thoughts on this pivotal matchup in 205lbs.
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Smith, UFC Fight Night 152
With both guys coming from reductions to Jon Jones in their past respective outings, the UFC matchmakers have gone ahead and matched up Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Smith for the main event of UFC Fight Night 152. The card occurs June 1 in Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, also this five-round headlining bout was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
At first glance, this is a struggle which makes sense with the two men needing to rally after their losses to Jones. Gustafsson endured a TKO defeat to Jones at the primary event of UFC 232, while Smith lost a lopsided decision to Jones in UFC 235. With the UFC having a principal event because of its return to Sweden, it naturally made sense for Gustafsson to headline the card, and for Smith it has a chance to get another main event fight after years of being a journeyman in the game.
At precisely the exact same time, however, it is very surprising to see Smith get back into the cage soon and signal a bout agreement not even two weeks after getting beat up real good by Jones at UFC 235. Smith did not mount much offense in that struggle and bore the brunt about 25 minutes of Jones’ strikes, and afterwards said he wanted to take some time away to rest and relax after a busy schedule in 2018 and 2019. Clearly, however, the allure of getting another major event slot against a top competition like Gustafsson was too much for Smith to pass on.
Gustafsson (18-5) is 10-5 overall from the UFC and before the reduction to Jones had won back-to-back fights over Glover Teixeira and Jan Blachowicz. Always a bridesmaid, Gustafsson has been one of the best contenders in 205lbs for much of this 2010s but hasn’t been in a position to win the title despite three cracks at it, two against Jones and one against Daniel Cormier. Smith (31-14) is 7-4 overall in the UFC but is 3-1 since moving up to light heavyweight, with wins over Mauricio”Shogun” Rua, Rashad Evans and Volkan Oezdemir winning him a shot at Jones. He showed against Jones that he is just not about the champ’s degree, but he remains a very solid contender at 205lbs.
In terms of the opening betting line with this battle, I feel the oddsmakers will set Gustafsson as the favored here, although I doubt he unlocks over 2-to-1. Smith has shown since moving up to light heavyweight that he has more knockout power and endurance in his new weight class, and that I would not totally count him from the fight. Still, Gustafsson is the skilled fighter and will obviously be battling in his hometown which should provide him an increase. Regardless of who wins, this should be a rather exciting matchup between two of the top dogs in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
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