The 2016 MMA National Olympic Teams: Sweden

With the 2016 Summer Olympics scheduled for Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sherdog.com staff and contributors sat down to put together hypothetical MMA Olympic teams for the following countries: United States, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Poland and Australia. This 10-part series will map out the yellow brick road to Rio de Janeiro for the men and women who call the cage home, Zika virus be damned.*** Covering just shy of 176,000 square miles and home to a little less than 10 million people, Sweden boasts a long and successful history in the Olympics. It dates back to the inaugural Games in 1896, and in the 120 years since, the Scandinavian nation has participated in every Olympics, save one. Stockholm served as the host site for the 1912 Summer Games. No Swede has struck gold more often than Gert Fredriksson (six), a sprint canoeist who competed in four Olympics: 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960. Away from Fredriksson’s considerable shadow, achievement in combat sports has long been a source of pride for the Swedes, as they have captured 85 medals in wrestling — 28 of them have been gold — and 11 more in boxing. Carl Westergren stands alone among the country’s wrestlers. The Malmo, Sweden, native struck gold in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1920, 1924 and 1932. On a more recent note, a pair of Swedes, heavyweight Jimmy Lidberg and super heavyweight Johan Euren, claimed bronze as Greco-Roman wrestlers at the 2012 Summer Games in London. The process of constructing a hypothetical Swedish MMA team for the Olympics reveals a country still trying to find its footing in the cage. Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson, the man most feel came closest to dethroning Jon Jones inside the Octagon, has been the face of mixed martial arts in Sweden for years. That does not figure to change anytime soon, barring a serious injury or precipitous physical decline. Gustafsson appears to be the only legitimate favorite to medal, so those in charge of assembling the Swedish roster had to get creative in order to overcome a lack of depth at various weights. For example, with “The Mauler” entrenched at light heavyweight, Ilir Latifi forgoes being an alternate at 205 pounds in favor of a move to heavyweight. Allstars Training Center’s Andreas Michael takes the coaching reins, alongside Pancrase Gym trainer Omar Bouiche and Gladius MMA’s August Wallen. They will oversee a sideline staff that includes former fighters Akira Corassani, Tor Troeng and Eddy Bengtsson.2016 Sweden National MMA Team • Heavyweight: Ilir Latifi • Light Heavyweight: Alexander Gustafsson • Middleweight: Magnus Cedenblad • Welterweight: Nicholas Musoke • Lightweight: David Teymur • Featherweight: Niklas Backstrom • Bantamweight: Sirwan Kakai • Flyweight: Binh Son Le • Women’s Bantamweight: Pannie Kianzad • Women’s Strawweight: Iman DarabiHEAVYWEIGHT: Built like a fire hydrant, the 5-foot-10 Latifi packs a serious wallop in his punches and kicks, as evidenced by the four first-round knockouts on his resume. The 33-year-old “Sledgehammer” has gone 5-2 since arriving in the UFC in 2013, losing only to Jan Blachowicz and former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi, the latter as a short-notice replacement. Latifi currently finds himself on a three-fight winning streak, having last appeared at UFC 196, where …

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