After sharing several verbal jabs on Twitter, Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson finally met face to face on Saturday night.
Fans got more than they bargained for as the two UFC stars teased with an intense staredown of quite possibly the next light heavyweight title bout.
Both Gustafsson and Jones were attending the Legend Fighting event in Moscow, which was headlined by heavyweights Alexander Emelianenko and Bob Sapp.
Gustafsson, who accused Jones of being “afraid” during the staredown, wasted little time uploading the picture on his Twitter page.
Lyoto Machida was originally slated to be next in line for the UFC title shot, but Jones requested a bout with Gustafsson after successfully defending his title against Chael Sonnen at UFC 159.
One of the biggest criticisms of Jones is how often he relies on his physical gifts to win fights. People always complain that he’s too tall or long for his opponents. At the UFC 159 post-fight press conference, Jones admitted that his decision to call out Gustafsson was based on proving naysayers wrong.
Gustafsson is an incredibly tall and lanky fighter. His billed height is actually taller than Jones, who typically towers over opponents in the light heavyweight division.
There has been no official word yet from UFC president Dana White on whether or not the proposed bout is set in stone, but it’ll be tough to pass up this budding rivalry for a fight fans have already seen before.
Unfortunately, all plans in the light heavyweight title picture are currently stalled.
Everything hangs on Jones’ recovery time from the gruesome toe injury he suffered at UFC 159. Following the press conference for UFC 160, White revealed to the media Jones had torn a ligament in his toe, which could keep him sidelined from anywhere between six weeks to six months.
If Jones is ready to compete before the year is out, it makes all the sense in the world for the UFC to pair him against Gustafsson.
A picture says a thousand words, and there are certainly no keyboard warriors in that staredown.
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