Alexander Gustafsson Rethinking Retirement; Wants Luke Rockhold Fight

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Alexander Gustafsson announced his retirement after his submission loss against Anthony Smith earlier this year, but after just a few months he is already getting the urge to return to action.

“I’m talking with the UFC, we are going back and forth,” Gustafsson told MMAViking.com. “It came quite fast… I was home for a couple days, and I had itching in my hands and wanted to get back and train.”

“I’m about 240-245 lbs. I’m a heavyweight right now. I’ve had a good time with family and friends. It has been a good two and half months. I am in no man’s land. I just want to train and get into shape. Let’s see how it goes.”

The 32-year-old also has a potential opponent in mind for his return to action.

“Luke Rockhold would be a good payday,” Gustafsson said. “Would love a fight. A fight against Luke would be a great way to comeback. He is a tough guy, a legend.”

Like Gustafsson, Rockhold has also been going through some tough times, having been KO’d in his last two fights, and it remains to be seen if the former middleweight champion will be interested in sticking around at 205lbs long enough to fight the Swede.

Whether he does or he doesn’t, ‘The Mauler’ seems to be taking the steps to try to come back stronger than ever.

“We are trying to figure out what I do wrong in competitions. I felt so good before the last fight. Something is not right, and I need to fix it.”

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.