Gustafsson vs. Johnson: A Complete Guide to Full UFC on Fox 14 Card
If anyone can do it, Alexander Gustafsson can.
Jon Jones' victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 demoralized not only Cormier and his faithful, but the many, many Jones detractors who wanted to see Jones get his comeuppance at light heavyweight.
Wasn't gonna happen. Even a positive cocaine test can't seemingly stop the great one from fulfilling his destiny as, at a minimum, the best 205-pounder in light heavyweight history, no matter what the haters—did I mention there were many of those—think or feel.
But Gustafsson, in giving Jones all he could handle in a close decision loss back in 2013, came closer to beating Jones than anyone else ever has. Some people even thought he won (even though those people were probably not correct or objective). Still, a Gustafsson-Jones rematch would seem to be the final step for Jones before he migrates north to the fertile feeding grounds of the heavyweight division.
But first, there's someone in Gustafsson's path: Anthony Johnson. Maybe you've heard of him. He's the guy who kept trying to be a welterweight like some desperate housewife struggling with a prom dress, before ultimately making peace with the fact that he was really a light heavyweight—and making some serious hay ever since.
The knockout artist from the Blackzilians meets the mad surgeon from Stockholm this Saturday at UFC on Fox 14. Rejoice and be glad in this one, as it's free for people who own television sets.
And it's only the main event on an interesting card. And heads up, prospect watchers: Lots of good up-and-comers are on this card as well.
What's at stake? What's worth watching? What's not? Here's a complete guide to the full 11-bout slate, including analysis, predictions, information capsules and viewing coordinates for each and every fight. Let's get it on.
Neil Seery vs. Chris Beal
1 of 12
Division: Flyweight
Records: Chris Beal (10-0), Neil Seery (14-10)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Both of these guys have some relatively sizable winds at their backs. Beal has that flying knee from UFC 172 and that inspirational back story buoying his popularity.
Seery has that whole Irish thing. Though he doesn't train with Conor McGregor and company, Seery is still a proud Dubliner, which is about the hottest banner you can fight under these days.
This is the fight where Seery shows he's more than just One of the Others. The veteran has a good all-around game and should have the movement and savvy to stay away from Beal's power and give him something to think (and get tired) about if things go to the ground.
No one wants a ground war here, by the way. It would just be ugly. But Seery using counterstrikes to mongoose out of the way of Beal's cobra could be entertaining indeed.
Prediction: Seery, unanimous decision
Viktor Pesta vs. Konstantin Erokhin
2 of 12Division: Heavyweight
Record: Viktor Pesta (9-0), Konstantin Erokhin (9-1)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Erokhin is lucky this isn't the Have a Neck competition. Because if that were the case, he'd be up a creek without a paddle. He'd capsize and cause, if you will, a bottleneck. Move it along, paddlers. No rubbernecking here.
As it is, though, I wouldn't like my own chances against Erokhin if I was driving a car made of baseball bats. The guy is a ham-fisted road grader, pure and simple, and he's going to put the wood to Pesta in his UFC debut.
Prediction: Erokhin, KO, Rd. 2
Mirksad Bektic vs. Paul Redmond
3 of 12
Division: Featherweight
Records: Mirsad Bektic (8-0), Paul Redmond (10-4)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
It makes all the sense in the world why the UFC would select Paul Redmond to step into this fight on two weeks' notice.
First of all, he's Irish. Second, he's a seasoned fighter, coming over from Britain's well-respected Cage Warriors promotion. Third, he's going to fight you. Only one of his pro fights has gone the distance. The guy isn't scared and is going to come forward, no matter the phase. Fourth, he's from Ireland.
It's not going to be enough. Bektic is one of the most highly touted prospects in the sport. He's sharp and powerful, and he'll use those tools to mash Redmond into the chain link, the canvas or both. Bektic has missed some time with injuries, so it's time to put the train back on the tracks. Redmond is too tough for a finish, but this one won't be especially close.
Prediction: Bektic, unanimous decision
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Mairbek Taisumov vs. Anthony Christodoulou
4 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Record: Mairbek Taisumov (22-5), Anthony Christodoulou (12-4)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Lots of interesting prospects on this undercard. Lots of squash matches, too.
Here comes another one. Little-known fact: In order to be signed as a prospect in the UFC, you must be either from Ireland or Russia. I don't know how it works; I'm not Atticus Finch. All I know is that the Chechen Taisumov fits that bill nicely.
Now fighting out of Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, Taisumov may not break much of a sweat Saturday night. It only took him 61 seconds to send his UFC record to 2-1 last October.
Christodoulou seems susceptible. He's a grappling specialist, and he's not even Russian or Irish, so on top of being a grappling specialist, he's also a rule breaker. Strike three.
Prediction: Taisumov, TKO, Rd. 2
Nikita Krylov vs. Stanislav Nedkov
5 of 12
Division: Light heavyweight
Record: Nikita Krylov (17-4), Stanislav Nedkov (12-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
I don't want to watch this one, man. Last time he fought, Nedkov was getting beaten down by Tom Watson. No, yeah, the fighter. TKO, second round.
And then he didn't get another fight for two years. That's this one. And Krylov isn't a huge upgrade. The 22-year-old Ukrainian is kind of a one-note pony, alternating wins and losses in his last six fights, with each win coming by knockout and each loss except one coming by submission.
Krylov looks a little lost on the mat, beyond being able to pull off and defend the basic stuff. So it's young-man power vs. old-man strength. Give me the young man by a hair in a close and sloppy one.
Prediction: Krylov, TKO, Rd. 2
Andy Ogle vs. Makwan Amirkhani
6 of 12
Division: Featherweight
Records: Angle Ogle (9-5), Makwan Amirkhani (10-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
It's easy to look at Ogle's five UFC losses and wonder why he's still with the promotion. But let us look a little closer and examine a few of those five opponents: Akira Corassani, Cole Miller, Charles Oliveira and Maximo Blanco.
OK, that didn't help very much. Ogle is a fun brawler, and he tries hard, you know. Give him an E for effort.
Amirkhani has a little better game and, for a guy who cut his teeth on the European circuits, a better resume. The 26-year-old has young French phenom Tom Duquesnoy on his hit list, among others.
He's earned his way to this point, while Ogle seems hell-bent on earning his way out. Might as well let nature take its course.
Prediction: Amirkhani, unanimous decision
Kenny Robertson vs. Sultan Aliev
7 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Record: Kenny Robertson (14-3), Sultan Aliev (13-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Both of these men are 30 years old. They have 31 fights between them, but only eight of those fights were in the UFC (in Aliev's case, this is his debut).
So, here are two veterans who worked their way up to this opportunity. No phenoms or Fertitta besties here.
Robertson was actually born as a 30-year-old MMA fighter to parents Dennis Hallman and Jeremy Horn. No one had ever seen anything like it, but when they saw him trip his opponent and work into a keylock, they were like "it makes sense after all."
Aliev is the slightly sexier of the two, with better boxing and clinch work. Ultimately, though, the grizzled American will use his wrestling to impose his will. A high chance of extended riding times may be in the forecast.
Prediction: Robertson, submission, Rd. 3
Nico Musoke vs. Albert Tumenov
8 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Record: Nico Musoke (13-3), Albert Tumenov (13-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Other than title fights, this might be my favorite general category of bout in MMA: the "Who's for Real?" bout.
Tumenov and Musoke have both been up-and-comers for a while now; the 23-year-old Russian is on his fourth Zuffa contest, while the 28-year-old Swede is one ahead of his counterpart. Both men also have only one defeat inside the Octagon.
So you know what they say: Something has to give. Both are formidable strikers, but Tumenov has the advantage in space, while Musoke has an edge in closer quarters, including in the clinch and on the ground.
Neither man is terrible, but when Musoke has an edge, the gap is close, and when the gap is wider, Tumenov has the upper hand. So give me Tumenov to play to his strengths and send Musoke back to the end of the velvet rope.
Prediction: Tumenov, unanimous decision
Akira Corassani vs. Sam Sicilia
9 of 12
Division: Featherweight
Record: Akira Corassani (12-5), Sam Sicilia (13-5)
See it on: Fox
This might be a little loser-leaves-town situation to kick off the Fox main card. And if Corassani and Sicilia weren't motivated to extract as much pulp from their opponents, they may just have that blender gear here.
Sicilia is a pounder who loads up for the big right. He can get you down, and there the right is also a factor. He wants to knock you out.
Corassani emits similar signals, but with more polish on a smoother athletic frame. His punch-kick combos are damaging, and he keeps up the pace.
So it should be fireworks to kick it off. I favor the leaner, meaner athlete.
Prediction: Corassani, TKO, Rd 2
Phil Davis vs. Ryan Bader
10 of 12
Division: Light heavyweight
Records: Phil Davis (13-2), Ryan Bader (18-4)
See it on: Fox
I feel like we've seen this fight a thousand times, right? There has to be Bader-Davis XVII footage drifting around that should still be relevant.
Actually, this is the first time, somehow. It just feels like a familiar matchup because of their great amateur wrestling credentials and wrestle-slugger games in the cage.
But Bader has evolved more between the two, given that Phil has no discernible attack of any kind when the action is vertical. This may finally be his sink-or-swim moment. Anthony Johnson exposed him last April, and his clinch/takedown pony show got him past Glover Teixeira in October. Neither bout instilled a lot of confidence that Davis will be able to get Bader to the ground or keep or damage him there. Bader, meanwhile, seems headed in the opposite direction—more fluid and more comfortable once he gets there.
Prediction: Bader, unanimous decision
Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi
11 of 12
Division: Middleweight
Record: Dan Henderson (30-12), Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2)
See it on: Fox
It seems Dan Henderson has found himself a little loophole: a slight tear in the Zuffa space-time fabric that he, and only he, may travel through.
The key for the 44-year-old is making it sound like he has a plan. He's like the stockbroker who gave Leonardo DiCaprio's advice on The Wolf of Wall Street. I'm paraphrasing here, but you keep the clients on the Ferris wheel. Don't let them take their money and run home. Because that ends the ride. So you come up with a new idea, and that keeps it fresh.
Another old rematch between aging lions. Another shift in weight class. A quick return to action to help flesh out a card in need (UFC 175, in the most recent case).
Next, it'll be a rematch with Quinton Jackson. But we can savor that tasty matchup for another day. For now, it's a drop down to middleweight for his match with Mousasi.
Mousasi will fire that trademark jab and then string combinations together, avoiding the H-bomb and any significant clinch damage in the process.
Prediction: Mousasi, unanimous decision
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Johnson
12 of 12
Division: Light heavyweight
Records: Alexander Gustafsson (16-2), Anthony Johnson (18-4)
See it on: Fox
This is going to be one of the most entertaining main events on the Fox slate this year.
With all the ups and downs he's had inside and out of the cage, Johnson feels he's had to move mountains to get here. And that's not too far off skill-wise; Johnson can punch and kick through a mountainside if it means he'll get to the belt. He's new to this level of competition but far from unprepared. His power sees to that.
But Gustafsson is more of a man in full. He's taller, moves better, has better combinations (Johnson doesn't really throw many combos at all) and exhibits strong clinch work. He's even decent on the ground and has an active guard that could threaten Johnson.
Johnson is always a threat, though, with a counter hook, a high kick or just some seemingly innocuous-looking elbow from top position.
And yet, Gustafsson should get this one in the end, evading Johnson's brutal blows and keeping a step ahead in the boxing dance by scoring two for each one of Johnson's.
Where you at, Jon Jones?
Prediction: Gustafsson, unanimous decision
Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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