Alexander Gustafsson was scheduled to headline UFC on FUEL TV 9 in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday against Gegard Mousasi, but he did not receive medical clearance from the Swedish MMA Federation due to a cut.
Gustafsson has released a statement on his official website, which he explained how the injury happened and his sorry that he will not be able to face Mousasi on Saturday in his home country.
“To all of you who are wondering, I would tell you what the situation looks like, and what happened,” Gustafsson wrote. “During Thursday’s (March 28) passes as we ran wrestling exercises I lost my balance and pitched eyebrow in a very unfortunate way when I hit my head. Immediately after it happened, I went to the hospital and sewed three stitches. I am in my best form and completely ready for the match. It is also sad for my opponent, Gegard Mousasi, who has also been training long and hard for this match. I am extremely sorry for this and I feel with Gegard Mousasi. The next step now is that I sit down with the team and planning the future.”
Mousasi (33-3-2) will still be in the main event and will now face Illir Latifi, who is a teammate of Gustafsson. This will be the UFC debut for Latifi and he is currently on a three fight winning streak.
The bout between Gustafsson and Mousasi was scheduled to be a five round fight, but with Latifi taking the fight on late notice, the fight will now be a three round fight.