Sherdog.com’s 2015 Upset of the Year

5. Anthony Johnson vs. Alexander Gustafsson
UFC on Fox 14
Saturday, Jan. 24
Tele2 Arena | Stockholm
Alexander Gustafsson had everything going for him, except for the fact that he had to deal with Anthony Johnson. Not even the rabid support of some 30,000 of his fellow Swedes could save “The Mauler.”

Johnson cut down Gustafsson with first-round punches in the UFC on Fox 14 headliner on Jan. 24 at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. Gustafsson succumbed to an accumulation of blows 2:15 into round one, the decisive victory leaving “Rumble” as the No. 1 contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown.

Gustafsson, who entered the cage as high as a -315 favorite, could not keep the Blackzilians brute at bay. Johnson clipped the Swede with an overhand right that dropped him to a knee and then swarmed with crippling follow-up shots. He never afforded Gustafsson the opportunity to breathe, as he ripped into him with punches that ultimately drove him to all fours. From there, he let loose with further punishment. Referee Marc Goddard gave “The Mauler” every chance to recover, but one last right hand from Johnson snuck under Gustafsson’s armpit, snapped his head upward and led to the stoppage.

“My game plan was just to pressure and make him fight my kind of fight,” Johnson said. “It just didn’t seem real. I was like, ‘I can’t believe I just beat the guy who, in my opinion, beat Jon Jones .’ I was just in a state of shock. Nobody’s ever stopped Alexander [with strikes] before. I was just speechless … I felt really bad; I saw him crying. I know how it is. You have a goal and something gets in the way. I felt this pain before. I guess I’m human. I just felt bad for -- I can’t say ending his goal -- but he didn’t reach his goal.”

While some believe an inadvertent head butt contributed to Gustafsson’s demise, he did nothing to discredit Johnson’s victory.

“No, I didn’t feel any head butt,” he said. “Anthony’s a beast, and he came in with his pressure. He did what he had to do and he did it; he caught me. He saw his opportunity and he took it, and he did what he had to do to win the fight. You’re always learning from your mistakes, and I learned today that I need to keep my guard up. It was a tough thing to deal with, and it still is. Whatever hurts you gets you stronger, though, so it’s all good.”