Swede Alexander Gustafsson cemented himself as the number one title contender by dominating former UFC champion Mauricio Rua Saturday night in Seattle.

“It was an awesome fight and it was such an honor to fight a legend like Shogun. I want the belt. I want to fight whoever has it.” says Gustafsson shortly after the bout.

The bout went three hard rounds, but Gustafsson showed he was ready to beat a “legend”. The official result was Alexander Gustafsson defeates Mauricio Rua by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, and 30-26.

Gustafsson was able to use his range early, and put Rua on the mat.  But in one of the most tense moments of the fight, Rua went for a heel hook trying for a submission against the lanky Swede. This exchange seemed to put a kink in the Mauler’s gameplan who was a bit more hesitant to the bout to the mat after the scare. Before Gustafsson was able to escape, Rua knees the Mauler to the thighs. Gustafsson eventually escapes. Round 1 was very close and could be seen either way.

In round 2 Gustafsson was able to show he is the stronger and fast man. After a breakup with a tangle along the cage by referee Dan Miragliotta, Gustafsson is able to take the fight to the ground and start to land some heavy punches before letting Rua back up the feet. Rua is able to land a left hand, but Gustafsson is able to show he controls if the bout stays standing or on the ground. The Swede hits another takedown, but the fight goes back standing with Gustafsson landing a big knee in the clinch. Gustafsson is in control. Round 3 is an extension of round two, with Gustafsson showing he can take the fight to the ground and is the crisper fighter. Rua is in good shape for this battle, and doesn’t show the signs of tiring as he has shown in previous UFC bouts.

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A big step forward to Gustafsson, showing a true changing of the guards as the young prospect takes out the former champion. The Mauler now has won 6 UFC bouts in a row, and hasn’t lost since a submission loss to Phil Davis in April of 2010.