Is Andreas Gustafsson a True Dark Horse in the Welterweight Division?
Andreas Gustafsson has looked like a man on a war path ever since his knockout win on Dana White's Contender Series last August. He followed that up with overwhelming Khaos Williams in his UFC debut. He doesn’t watch film on his opponents; he just gets in their face and throws. His conditioning and durability are remarkable, making him a real threat in any matchup. He is scheduled to face Rinat Fakhretdinov on September 6th, and that could propel him further than he thought early in his UFC career.
Rinat Fakhretdinov came into the UFC and looked like a future title challenger as he dominated Bryan Battle in his first fight and then submitted Kevin Lee in his second fight in under a minute. Ever since then, he has barely won the victories he has gotten. However, even with some controversial victories, he is still undefeated in the UFC with one draw and holds a 23-1-1 overall record. He doesn’t have good cardio; he starts strong and then slows as the fight goes on. In most of his fights, he likes to push his opponents against the cage and hold them there to wear them down and win points. Gustafsson will not slow down, and he will be on the gas from the second the fight starts. Whoever puts the other against the fence, that fighter will be able to utilize their wrestling, which could be the deciding factor. If Gustafsson can take Fakhretdinov, he will wear him even more on that gas tank and really drain him. If he can do that early, he will mount a lead so large it might be insurmountable for Rinat.
If Gustafsson can get past the dangerous and undefeated Fakhretdinov, he would potentially get a shot at the back end of the top 15 already. In an absolutely stacked Welterweight Division, he will not have an easy time making a name for himself. He could get a fight against Gabriel Bonfim or Daniel Rodriguez and use them to get his name in the rankings and gain even more confidence as he tries to make the climb up the ladder. His Viking image will become even more marketable the more he wins and the more screen time he gets on the bigger stages.
Andreas Gustafsson is non-stop action every time he steps foot in the Octagon. He lives a different lifestyle than most of the athletes in the UFC, and he has a mindset that is cemented in the old ways of war and fighting. That aggressiveness makes him a must-watch. You don’t want to miss his fight and all the other action Saturday, September 6th, for UFC Fight Night: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho with a main card start time of 3:00 p.m. EST.
