Alexander Gustafsson: After loss to Anthony Johnson, I nearly retired

In a revealing new interview this week, UFC light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson told Swedish outlet Expressen that he came close to hanging up his gloves after losing on his home turf earlier this year to Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. "I was really close to quitting," he admitted.

Gustafsson lost his title rematch against champion Jon Jones with the TKO defeat to Johnson, but what hit "The Mauler" the hardest was losing in front of all his Stockholm fans. "I didn't really care about the title," he explained.

"It was that this happened in front of my home crowd. My cousins were in the place. I just took it too hard. I didn't have the will to continue."

Gustafsson went on to say that an outpouring of support from fans helped him decide to fight on. Gustafsson next fights Glover Teixeira on June 20 in Berlin.

"I have received so much love from fans, loved ones and my team. I had to bite the sour apple, and now I have a new fight that made me very motivated," he said.

The former title challenger insisted that he's continuing to fight for the right reasons. Had he stayed down and without motivation after the loss to "Rumble," Alex would have stayed out.

"If I had not wanted to do this anymore, I would have stopped," he concluded.

"But I want to continue. There is no doubt about it. No one is forcing me. I'm not doing this for money, but to be the best in the world."