Mere logic would put top contenders Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson in a bout to determine the next title contender, but obviously, the UFC has other things in mind for the light heavyweight division.
During the UFC 183 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White confirmed that bouts for both Cormier and Gustafsson had already been booked.
“Cormier’s got another fight set up right now and we actually have another fight for Gustafsson, too,” said White. “After those two fight these fights, it makes sense.”
Gustafsson is likely still shaking off the cobwebs after a first-round thrashing to Anthony Johnson. The surprising loss sent the Swedish contender tumbling down the light heavyweight ranks, and it put Johnson in the No. 1 contender’s spot to challenge Jon Jones for the UFC title.
Cormier, on the other hand, was turned back by the champ in his bid for UFC gold in early January. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Cormier hinted at a potential fight with Gustafsson, claiming it was the fight that made the most sense.
The UFC once again sidestepping a fight between light heavyweight contenders won’t sit well with Jones. The UFC light heavyweight champ has stated several times that he isn’t happy with top contenders bypassing bouts against other top contenders for a title shot. Cormier, Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira all received title shots without having to go through at least one top-five contender.
When speaking with Ariel Helwani, Jones claimed that the UFC saved all the tough fights for him.
“I feel like they save all the dogs for me, and they just give the toughest guys the easiest matchups to get a title shot,” said Jones. “Let’s see some of these top contenders fight each other.”
The opponents and fight dates for Cormier and Gustafsson have yet to be announced by the UFC. But from the looks of things, Jones could be gearing up to fight a recycled murderer’s row of contenders.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon and FanRag Sports.
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