‘Frustrated’ Alexander Gustafsson: Minor injury that forced me off UFC 227 is nothing to talk about

After Volkan Oezdemir was forced out of his scheduled Light Heavyweight showdown against Alexander Gustafsson — which was set to go down at UFC 227 on Aug. 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, Calif., — with a broken nose, Gustaffson was ultimately bounced from the event with an injury of his own.

The extent of his woes don’t seem to be too catastrophic, as “The Mauler” appeared on The Ariel Helwani MMA Show to vent his frustrations while revealing his injury isn’t too severe, though details were kept close to the vest.

“All I can tell you is that I have been very frustrated these couple of days. It’s like it doesn’t go my way really. It’s just crazy, man, I don’t want to talk about my injury now,” stated Alex. “It’s just a minor injury, nothing to talk about really, it’s just a (expletive) thing. It gets on my nerves but it is what it is. I did all I could, everything in my power to bounce back and I will in a couple of weeks,” he added.

With UFC 227 a couple of weeks away, Gustafsson said there was no way he’d be ready to fight by then, ultimately making Anthony Smith’s call out obsolete. Still, the towering Swede can’t help but to vent at the fact that nothing seems to be going his way at the moment.

“It’s been frustrating, I don’t know what’s going on. It feels like don’t have any flow right now. I’m telling you it’s just (expletive) crazy right now, I am so frustrated. This is my card, this was my fight,” he said.

“Then Volkan fell off. It was a fight that really motivates me. To fight Volkan is the best fight for me and it makes the most sense. I felt great fighting him. But when he got injured. It is what it is, (expletive) happens.”

Still Gustafsson maintains he was ready and willing to face anyone offered to him as replacement before the injury bug came out of the shadows and struck him down.

“After that, we just, whatever they put on the table I will fight him. I am in shape, the best shape in my life here and then I got injured from nowhere. It’s just crazy, that's all I can say to you.”

As far as a potential rematch or heavyweight title fight against multi-division champion Daniel Cormier, that doesn’t appear to be an option as “DC” recently tore into Gustafsson by insinuating his injury isn’t legit.

Nevertheless, Alex is on the road to recovery and since it won’t be too long before he can get back into the swing of things, “Lionheart’s” challenge, I’m sure, will still be valid in the coming weeks.