Could Prime Gustafsson have beaten Alex Pereira?

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

2013 Gus would run wild on the current 205 division...

 

[orca]

He beat jones so it’s possible but styles make fights. Periera is a better striker than jones and has one punch ko power

last time i checked gust had a close fight with unmotivated jon and still lost
or am i mis informed

got brutally gnp by jon the second fight

 

[TheMMAnalyst]

Would've been interesting. Pereira gets the ko imo. Gus was kinda chinny tbh

How was he chinny when the only fighter that KO'd him in his prime was a prime Rumble? And even that took multiple follow-up bombs after the cracked Gus off his missed front-kick attempt. I don't consider him in his prime when he lost to Jones the second time, he was already declining, plus it was a KO from extended GnP so doesn't really tell us that much (and he wasn't even completely unconscious from what I recall).

Gus went to savage 5-round wars with Jones before the Glover KO and then DC after it, so even though he got finished it didn't appear that his chin was cracked at that time despite the brutal KO from which some fighters never recover.

He definitely became a little more gun-shy though and resorted to those "running along the fence to buy time" tactics against both DC and then later Glover. From what I recall Jan was piecing him up the feet to the extent where Gus had to go into wrestling-mode or he was going to get smoked.

The only time he looked "chinny" was in his last fight against Krylov, which was 5 years after he lost to Jones making him 0-3 in title fights. Getting subbed at home in the main event against Anthony Smith and then ballooning up to HW to get insta-subbed by Werdum showed more that dude was not motivated and didn't have his head and/or heart in the game any more.

I'd be more worried about Pereira taking his leg to pieces than anything else, Gus was pretty good at fighting at range and using his jab to keep range but his boxing-heavy style would've been begging for some Pereira calf kicks. Jiri's leg was done for after the second one, you never really know what's going to happen when you start eating those.

Cool fight though, would've loved to have seen prime versions face each other.

 

[AfroBanana]

Obviously Alex can win by KO. Gus has more higher probability paths to victory imo.

But TBH prime Gus would be great in this current era of guys that don’t wrestle. No Jones, DC or Rumble. Ankalaev would have serious issues with prime Gus, I can see Gus taking him down tbh.

Rakic and Jiri would be fun to watch against him.

 

[killakillakilla]

No way. Gus was sloppy and would get kod. Alex is way better.

 

[Conor Strickland]

How was he chinny when the only fighter that KO'd him in his prime was a prime Rumble? And even that took multiple follow-up bombs after the cracked Gus off his missed front-kick attempt. I don't consider him in his prime when he lost to Jones the second time, he was already declining, plus it was a KO from extended GnP so doesn't really tell us that much (and he wasn't even completely unconscious from what I recall).

Gus went to savage 5-round wars with Jones before the Glover KO and then DC after it, so even though he got finished it didn't appear that his chin was cracked at that time despite the brutal KO from which some fighters never recover.

He definitely became a little more gun-shy though and resorted to those "running along the fence to buy time" tactics against both DC and then later Glover. From what I recall Jan was piecing him up the feet to the extent where Gus had to go into wrestling-mode or he was going to get smoked.

The only time he looked "chinny" was in his last fight against Krylov, which was 5 years after he lost to Jones making him 0-3 in title fights. Getting subbed at home in the main event against Anthony Smith and then ballooning up to HW to get insta-subbed by Werdum showed more that dude was not motivated and didn't have his head and/or heart in the game any more.

I'd be more worried about Pereira taking his leg to pieces than anything else, Gus was pretty good at fighting at range and using his jab to keep range but his boxing-heavy style would've been begging for some Pereira calf kicks. Jiri's leg was done for after the second one, you never really know what's going to happen when you start eating those.

Cool fight though, would've loved to have seen prime versions face each other.

Definitely a cool fight. I might've exaggerated a bit how 'chinny' he was but Pereira kos him without much trouble imo if it stays standing. It would be interesting tho if Gus mixes it up with wrestling

 

[Wetarmpits]

Prime Gus clowned Glover and had razor thin fights with Jones and DC. Of course.

 

[Wetarmpits]

I don't think that is a great matchup for Gus. He's hittable and Pereira only needs one good shot, unlike Jones. And I don't think Gus is putting Pereira to sleep, so over the course of 5 rounds I think he gets knocked out. If Jan couldn't wrestlefuck Perreira, then I'm not sure Gus could have done it for 5 rounds.

Nightmare matchup for Alex is DC, Jones, maybe Glover. I think Rumble is a tougher fight for Perreira than Gus.

Gus took Glover down and absolutely besmirched him in the stand up.

 

[Wetarmpits]

Definitely a cool fight. I might've exaggerated a bit how 'chinny' he was but Pereira kos him without much trouble imo if it stays standing. It would be interesting tho if Gus mixes it up with wrestling

LOL at saying Gus was chinny. He ate shots over 5 rounds from DC. His chin was rock solid.

 

[ipowerslapmywife]

last time i checked gust had a close fight with unmotivated jon and still lost
or am i mis informed

got brutally gnp by jon the second fight

He won that fight and lol “unmotivated” that’s the dumbest excuse. Jones was juiced the the gills

 

[marvinparsons]

Gus took Glover down and absolutely besmirched him in the stand up.

I'm not talking about Glover vs. Gus my man. Styles make fights.

 

[marvinparsons]

Speaking of Gus, dude was a guy that had a big post USADA drop off. Not saying anything, but you never hear him in those conversations. And that's close to a decline in his performance.

 

[KORNBR3AD]

Was he chinny though? It took Rumble alot of shots to take him out of there.

Did it? I dont remember it that way. Ill have to go back and watch. I thought he caught him, dropped him, and then finished up with a flurry. The whole fight lasted half a round. Not saying you're wrong. Thats just how I remembered it. But its been a while.

 

[Istryker]

Alex is super overrated .... Izzy left him sleeping in the octagon.

Prime gus knocks him clean

 

[Wetarmpits]

I'm not talking about Glover vs. Gus my man. Styles make fights.

Yes, and Ima telling you that Gus faced guys way better than Poatan. He would have been in an ocean of infight uppercuts and takedowns.

I like Poatan but prime Gus would have smothered that ass and easiliy.

 

[michi972]

He definitely has chance, but in 5 rounds? His Path would be to wrestle, but can he outwrestle and control Pereira for 5 rounds without getting caught. I would favour Pereira

 

[achoo42]

last time i checked gust had a close fight with unmotivated jon and still lost
or am i mis informed

Jon was unmotivated in 2013?

 

[filthybliss]

Gus is probably more well rounded than any fighter that Alex has squared up against.

 

[Tatra]

Yes. Prime Gus was awesome. Remember what he did to Glover? Gave Manuwa his first loss and almost beat DC. Also beat Jan & Shogun. Some very solid wins. His resume is significantly better than Alex's.