Alexander Gustafsson has made it clear he feels he deserves the next shot at UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones in the wake of Jones’ meniscus injury.
UFC president Dana White, however, has a different idea.
With the bout between Jones and undefeated challenger Daniel Cormier rescheduled for Jan. 3 in Las Vegas, White believe that Gustafsson, who was originally slated to get the Sept. 27 shot at Jones but had to pull out due to an injury, should fight again in the meantime.
“Gustafsson is upset, but it’s not like we took Gustafsson out of the fight. Gustafsson got hurt and he’s out,” White told UFC.com, fresh off a vacation in Bora Bora. “Cormier stepped in and accepted the fight and this is the fight that is going to happen now.”
“The reality is we had Gustafsson versus Jones, he was the number one contender, that was the fight. He got hurt,” White continued. “He fell out of the fight. Well, people can say, ‘Now Jones is hurt.’ Well yeah, but this is the fight that’s happening now.”
While the UFC.com article hinted at Anthony Johnson as a potential opponent for Gustafsson, White wouldn’t commit to a specific opponent.
“Gustafsson will probably fight again. We’ll probably do another fight for him,” White said. “He’ll probably fight again to stay active, stay top of mind and the guy has to make money.”