Alexander Gustafsson's UFC Fight Night 109 win restores order at light heavyweight

Somewhere between the second consecutive uppercut and third, it began to seem like maybe Alexander Gustafsson was trying to make a point. It was a point very similar to the one he’d been making all over Glover Teixeira’s face since the first round of their main-event bout at UFC Fight Night 109 in Stockholm, only it came through much clearer right at the end.

Three uppercuts, all in a row. That ought to do it.

The same exact punch he’d been abusing Teixeira with all fight, and he just had to pile it on in the fifth round, as if daring Teixeira to stop it while knowing full well he couldn’t.

Then, with that point firmly made, he threw in a right cross to end it. Because why prolong the man’s suffering?

These are strange times in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. You could tell that just by looking at the numbers next to each man’s name in Sunday’s headliner.

Gustafsson (18-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who came into this fight with just one win separating him from a two-fight losing streak, somehow had the honor of a No. 1 ranking according to the UFC’s own system. Teixeira (26-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who also had a winning streak holding firm at one in a row, was in the No. 2 spot.

Obviously, there are some asterisks that need explaining, and not just the usual ones about the UFC rankings being a tool of convenience.

For instance, there’s the absence of Jon Jones, the division’s best fighter. Although his return now seems imminent, don’t discount his talents for self-sabotage.

Then there’s the champ, Daniel Cormier, who somehow doesn’t factor into the rankings at all as long as he has the belt, but who seems like the easy pick to hold down the top spot for as long as Jones’ absence lasts, though probably not a moment longer.

With former title contender Anthony Johnson retired, Gustafsson’s steamrolling of Teixeira serves to reinforce the concept of the division as a three-man show, with guys like Jimi Manuwa waiting patiently at the doorstep for someone to get disqualified or injured or forcibly ejected. In the absence of any more such weirdness, it’s Jones, Cormier, and Gustafsson, roughly in that order, forming a sort of default round robin with a steep drop-off in talent outside their little triad.

Is that a bad thing? Yes and no.

The upside is that, if you find yourself in a situation where the same three guys end up fighting each other for the title over and over again, you could do a lot worse than these three guys. Gustafsson is still the stiffest test Jones has ever faced, and his fight with Cormier was a blood-and-guts classic. He might not ever beat either of those two guys, but there’s a solid market for watching him try.

The downside is that you can only do this so many times before something gives. Cormier’s probably only one more loss away from moving weight classes or retiring altogether. Gustafsson’s battled injuries and voiced complaints about pay, so as the low man in the trifecta you can imagine he might soon feel compelled to seek other options.

Then, of course, there’s Jones, who might do anything at any time, ranging from the brilliant to the absurd.

But you take a step back and appreciate the sheer violent beauty of Gustafsson’s win in Sweden, and you realize the tremendous value that those precious few elite light heavyweights still bring to the UFC. Without this fight, the event is a snoozer. The names on the card wouldn’t pull an audience on UFC Fight Pass, and without Gustafsson to show out at the end even the polite Swedes might lose their patience.

The 205-pound class was once the glamour division of the UFC, home to the biggest (and at times only) stars. Now its talent has coalesced at the very top, with the same few guys solidifying their grip on the same few spots. It’s the vehemence of their struggle to climb higher or avoid slipping down that makes the division an enduring spectacle.

That, too, might have been part of the point Gustafsson was making – over and over again, for as long as Teixeira could stand it.

For more on UFC Fight Night 109, check out the UFC Events section of the site.