What’s next for Alexander Gustafsson after masterful performance in Stockholm?

There are good nights, then there are the types of nights Alexander Gustafsson had yesterday (Sun., May 28, 2017) at UFC Fight Night 109 in Stockholm, Sweden.

In the main event of the FOX Sports 1-televised event, “The Mauler” put on one his best performances to date, unveiling an improved level of striking at the expense of Glover’s face, of course.

For 20 minutes, Gustafsson connected at will, dropping the Brazilian bomber on multiple occasions, leaving him frustrated throughout the bout. Still, not enough can be said about Teixiera’s toughness, as he kept ticking after taking a licking.

That was up until “The Mauler” unleashed a four-punch combo to score a walk-off knockout win in front of his hometown crowd (see it again here), erasing the memory of his last bout in Sweden — a knockout loss to Anthony Johnson.

If that win wasn’t enough, he earned a cool $50,000 bonus for “Fight of the Night,” and he also got engaged to his girlfriend — whom he just welcomed a baby girl into the world with — right in the center of the cage.

So, it’s safe to say it’s been a good couple of weeks for the towering Swede.

And it could be getting a whole lot better down the road, as the win likely earned him a title shot to face the winner of the upcoming rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones, which is set to go down on July 29 at UFC 214 in Anaheim, California.

Gustafsson has already tasted defeat against both in championship bouts, so any matchup would give him the opportunity to get some sweet revenge (and a world title). The tastier showdown would be one against “Bones,” as their epic battle at UFC 165 is still the topic of many conversations.

While the rivalry between the two isn’t as deep as perhaps the one between Jones and Cormier, Gustafsson doesn’t think much of Jon as a person, or a champion; so there is some beef there.

At the end of the day, “DC” has his own score to settle with Jones, as he would also like to get his revenge on the only man to ever defeat him and erase any and all doubt as to who the real champion of the division is. That said, Cormier may very well ruin any chance of seeing Jones vs. Gustafsson 2.

When it’s all said and done, however, I highly doubt Alex cares who he faces for the strap — though he’s rooting for “DC” on a personal level — as gold around his waist is his top priority.