UFC Fight Island: 7 Underrated Matchups Still To Come You WON'T Want To Miss!
5. Fabricio Werdum Vs. Alexander Gustafsson - Heavyweight
Alexander Gustafsson coming out of retirement and switching divisions would have warranted more attention during any normal UFC period. Unfortunately, UFC's July setup and schedule is far from normal, and the Swede's return has been buried somewhat under the Fight Island sand.
UFC Fight Night 176: Whittaker vs. Till takes place on Saturday, July 25, and is the final card to be held in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. In arguably the most exciting match-up beside the main event, Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum takes on “The Mauler” in his heavyweight debut. At 42-years-old, Werdum is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion and travels to Fight Island with a 23-9-1 record. The Brazilian will be fighting for the first time since a split decision loss to veteran Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 249, the first event post the enforced break.
Gustafsson last fought in June of last year, when he announced his retirement following a defeat by rear-Naked Choke to Anthony Smith. Despite his post-fight words, the show appears to be far from over for the 33-year-old, who looks to reinvigorate his career at heavyweight. Overall, this matchup is interesting for a number of reasons, namely, the opportunity to see the power of the Swedish fighter as a heavyweight and Werdum's response to his lacklustre return in May.