UFC Stockholm preview: Who will make a statement in Sweden?

Glover Teixeira has a lot riding on Saturday's date with Alexander Gustafsson.

The Brazilian heads into UFC Fight Night 109's main event in Stockholm looking to inch closer to another shot at the light heavyweight title, which he failed to wrench from then-champion Jon Jones in a lopsided decision over three years ago at UFC 172.

Teixeira rebounded from a subsequent loss to Phil Davis with a vengeance, picking up three consecutive stoppage wins to secure a title eliminator opposite Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 202 in August, only to be flatlined in 13 seconds and falter once again when the stakes were high.

Now back in the win column after smothering Jared Cannonier for three rounds at a universally panned UFC 208, the 37-year-old must get back to his destructive ways and prove himself worthy of his No. 2 ranking while his wee window of opportunity to fight for gold is still open.

A statement win won't come easy for Teixeira, who gets a two-time title challenger in search of an emphatic triumph in Gustafsson, one of four Swedes who'll be competing in the nation's capital.

Two years after falling just short of dethroning Jones in an all-time classic at UFC 165, "The Mauler" saw his dreams of hoisting gold crushed once again, this time by incumbent champion Daniel Cormier in another close decision at UFC 192. Much like Teixeira, Gustafsson took the safe route to the W in his next fight, riding his wrestling to a sweep of the scorecards over Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 93 in September.

He may have snapped an 18-month winless drought with a rather vanilla performance, but don't let his recent tape fool you - Gustafsson is known as "The Mauler" for a reason. With friend and training partner Jimi Manuwa patiently waiting in pole position for his first UFC title shot, expect the towering Swede who laid a beatdown on "Poster Boy" in March 2014 to show up at Ericsson Globe come fight night.

Nipping at the longtime contenders' heels are some new faces set to lock horns in Saturday's co-main event.

With four stoppage victories in as many walks to the Octagon, 30-year-old Misha Cirkunov has been an absolute revelation in a division that's long been in dire need of fresh talent at the top. The Latvian native fought out his contract with a first-round tapout of Nikita Krylov in his adopted hometown of Toronto at UFC 206, and now meets Volkan Oezdemir in the first bout on the contract he signed earlier this year.

With just one fight in the world's top fight factory to his name, Oezdemir remains a mystery on this side of the pond. The 27-year-old takes a solid professional record of 13-1 with nine knockouts into his date with Cirkunov, and was last seen eking out a split decision over Ovince Saint Preux on short notice in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 104.

Competing in a weight class even the craftiest of spin doctors couldn't confidently call deep, Oezdemir earned himself the fifth spot in the light heavyweight rankings - two above Cirkunov - with the forgettable effort. Heading into the stiffest test of his career on a full training camp, expect the best version of Oezdemir to take the cage in Stockholm this time around.

Madadi gets his wish

Reza Madadi has been given a gift most of his peers can only dream of enjoying: he's going out on his own terms.

After being beaten bloody by "Irish" Joe Duffy at UFC Fight Night 107 in March, the 38-year-old lightweight requested the 20th and final fight of his career take place in his hometown of Stockholm. Thanks to an injury to Mairbek Taisumov, Madadi got his ideal swan song opposite the undefeated Joaquim Silva on just nine days' notice.

The Iran native has graced the Octagon just six times in over five years with the UFC, alternating wins and losses for an even 3-3 record. He'll vie for his 15th career victory against Silva - a fighter 10 years his junior - on the evening's prelims. The Brazilian will make his first walk to the cage since he dispatched Andrew Holbrook in just 34 seconds in July for his eighth first-round stoppage in nine career bouts. In other words, Madadi will have his work cut out for him.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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