Alexander Gustafsson posts photo of cut that forced him out of UFC on FUEL TV 9

Based on a photo released by the fighter, the cut that forced Alexander Gustafsson out of Saturday’s UFC on FUEL TV 9 event was pretty substantial.

On his official website, Gustafsson posted a photo showing a long gash just under his left eyebrow.

Despite his desire to stay on the card, where he was slated to meet fellow light heavyweight Gegard Mousasi in a five-round bout, Gustafsson ultimately wasn’t cleared to compete. The FUEL TV-televised event takes place in the Swedish fighter’s home country at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm.

On Tuesday the Swedish MMA Federation nixed Gustafsson (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) from participating due to the cut. As reported overnight, his teammate, UFC newcomer Ilir Latifi (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), has stepped in a replacement. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported, he’ll now fight Mousasi (33-3-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a three-round main event.

According to Gustafsson, the cut happened during a training session when he lost his balance and crashed into a cage post. It required three stitches.

“I am extremely sorry for this, and I feel for Gegard Mousasi,” Gustafsson wrote. “The next step is that I sit down with my team and start planning the future.”

Gustafsson hoped a seventh straight UFC win would move him deeper into title contention. The 26-year-old is currently ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com light-heavyweight MMA rankings.

For more on UFC on FUEL TV 9, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.