UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson may have been bitterly disappointed not to get an immediate rematch after his excruciatingly close title loss to Jon Jones. However, he’s now being promised the next shot if he scores another win.
UFC pr…
UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson may have been bitterly disappointed not to get an immediate rematch after his excruciatingly close title loss to Jon Jones. However, he’s now being promised the next shot if he scores another win.
“Obviously he’s got to win, but yeah, he’s fighting (Jones) next. 100-percent, that’s the next fight,” White said.
Gustafsson’s come the closest yet to unseating the now seven-time UFC 205-pound champion. But after five grueling rounds, Jones took the unanimous decision win when the pair met at UFC 165 in September.
Due to the closeness of the fight, it was initially thought that the Swede would fight Jones again immediately. However, Jones will now face Glover Teixeira instead, possibly sometime next March.
In the meantime, Gustafsson will have to step in the cage against a different opponent.
Phil Davis is one name that immediately pops to mind. He stands fourth in the division, with Gustafsson second, and already beat the Swede when the pair met in 2010. However, they have since become training partners and a fight between the two is unlikely.
“We’re close friends, we’re teammates, and I would prefer not to fight him,” he said. “If the UFC wants us to fight for a title or, who knows what the future will bring, we will take that question then, but I will not fight Phil Davis if it’s up to me.”
Gustafsson confirmed that the pair are still training partners at Alliance.
Other immediate opponents for Gus that come to mind are former Strikeforce champion GegardMousasi, who was due to fight the Mauler in April. Or Brazilian Antonio Rogerio Nogueira who was also set to face Gustafsson earlier this year, but had to pull out due to an injury.
(That’s Jon’s surprised face. It is usually followed by his angry face, which shifts directly into his “punching and kicking you” face. / Photo courtesy of Martin McNeil)
“That was never, ever a done deal. That’s going to be later. That was never a done deal. Our (public relations) people put it out, and they shouldn’t have.”
Though a new date for Jones/Teixeira is still TBA, White said the bout was likely to happen in March. In addition, Alexander Gustafsson is expected to fight around the same time in either Sweden or London, and if Jones and Gustafsson both win their next fights, “they 100 percent will fight next,” White said.
Anyway, our condolences go out to the people of Newark. We’ll update you when a real main event is finalized for UFC 169.
(That’s Jon’s surprised face. It is usually followed by his angry face, which shifts directly into his “punching and kicking you” face. / Photo courtesy of Martin McNeil)
“That was never, ever a done deal. That’s going to be later. That was never a done deal. Our (public relations) people put it out, and they shouldn’t have.”
Though a new date for Jones/Teixeira is still TBA, White said the bout was likely to happen in March. In addition, Alexander Gustafsson is expected to fight around the same time in either Sweden or London, and if Jones and Gustafsson both win their next fights, “they 100 percent will fight next,” White said.
Anyway, our condolences go out to the people of Newark. We’ll update you when a real main event is finalized for UFC 169.
In the wake of Alexander Gustafsson‘s epic title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 165, FOX Sports 1 has released a behind-the-scenes mini-documentary that follows Gustafsson through some intimate moments leading up to and following the bout. We also learned a few new things about the Swedish star. For example…
1. That ‘no-fuss’ look hair style of Gustafsson’s does indeed require some fuss
We won’t admit to being exactly jealous of Gustafsson’s no-effort-needed, scruff-buff style but..ok, we were getting a little jealous. It’s hard enough being an MMA fan while watching a Georges St. Pierre fight while all the female fans within view are fawning over him. Recently, it seemed that Gustafsson was starting to get the same treatment. I mean, what does a brother have to do to simply watch a fight without being reminded of how inadequate he is?
Anyway, early in the ‘On the Brink’ doc, we see Gustafsson painstakingly mold his hair in front of a large mirror and then ask his room mate if it looked alright. Wait, was this whole first point a little weird? I’m starting to think it made me look weird…Next point!
2. Alexander Gustafsson believes that Jon Jones is “insecure”
Gustafsson wasn’t much for trash talk leading up to the Jones fight but in this segment he seemed agitated by Jones’ attitude. Jones’s perceived arrogance is the result of fundamental insecurity, according to Alexander. “He is insecure,” Gus says. “He likes looking down on people. Some people don’t see that but I see that.”
3. Gustafsson doesn’t cut a ton of weight, apparently
As Gustafsson gets into a cab on the Thursday before UFC 165, he tells the driver that he has just nine pounds left to go. “I’m 214,” he says. Now, nine pounds of weight lost in one day would be a lot to you and me, but the light heavyweight division has been home to some of the most monstrous cuts in UFC history from guys like Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson who have reportedly showed up to fight weeks well over twenty pounds above the 205 pound limit.
4. After the final horn, Gustafsson didn’t believe that he would was going to win the decision
In the wake of Alexander Gustafsson‘s epic title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 165, FOX Sports 1 has released a behind-the-scenes mini-documentary that follows Gustafsson through some intimate moments leading up to and following the bout. We also learned a few new things about the Swedish star. For example…
1. That ‘no-fuss’ look hair style of Gustafsson’s does indeed require some fuss
We won’t admit to being exactly jealous of Gustafsson’s no-effort-needed, scruff-buff style but..ok, we were getting a little jealous. It’s hard enough being an MMA fan while watching a Georges St. Pierre fight while all the female fans within view are fawning over him. Recently, it seemed that Gustafsson was starting to get the same treatment. I mean, what does a brother have to do to simply watch a fight without being reminded of how inadequate he is?
Anyway, early in the ‘On the Brink’ doc, we see Gustafsson painstakingly mold his hair in front of a large mirror and then ask his room mate if it looked alright. Wait, was this whole first point a little weird? I’m starting to think it made me look weird…Next point!
2. Alexander Gustafsson believes that Jon Jones is “insecure”
Gustafsson wasn’t much for trash talk leading up to the Jones fight but in this segment he seemed agitated by Jones’ attitude. Jones’s perceived arrogance is the result of fundamental insecurity, according to Alexander. “He is insecure,” Gus says. “He likes looking down on people. Some people don’t see that but I see that.”
3. Gustafsson doesn’t cut a ton of weight, apparently
As Gustafsson gets into a cab on the Thursday before UFC 165, he tells the driver that he has just nine pounds left to go. “I’m 214,” he says. Now, nine pounds of weight lost in one day would be a lot to you and me, but the light heavyweight division has been home to some of the most monstrous cuts in UFC history from guys like Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson who have reportedly showed up to fight weeks well over twenty pounds above the 205 pound limit.
4. After the final horn, Gustafsson didn’t believe that he would was going to win the decision
In part two of ‘On the Brink,’ (below) Gustafsson admitted that, though he hoped they would announce his name, he believed that the fight had been too close for the judges to award it to him. Not that he didn’t believe he didn’t deserve to win, just that he didn’t think they judges would give it to him.
5. Gustafsson Knows Exactly How to Beat Jones the Next Time Out
Far from dejected, Gustafsson claims he knows how to take it to Jones even more convincingly in their assumed rematch. “We will fight again,” he says. “And next time we fight, I know exactly what I will do.”
(The often scruffy, always inscrutable Alexander Gustafsson | Photo via MMAnytt.se)
Yesterday we shared a report that quoted UFC light heavyweight champion contender Alexander Gustafsson as saying that he no longer planned to train in San Diego with the Alliance team or Phil Davis before fights. “Now I’m in that stage of my career that I will compete three or four times a year, so I can not hold on and go off all the time,” Gustafsson said. “It costs too much and it takes too much time away from my family. It’s simply not worth it.”
Furthermore, Gustafsson said that he believed that he and Davis would soon fight again so, you know…awkward. “We both belong to the top, and that’s not a difficult guess that we’ll meet again soon…it feels better to not train together right now,” Gus said.
Well, Gustafsson’s head trainer Andreas Michael is now saying that the media took the fighter’s words out of context. In an interview with Kimura.se the coach says that the media interpreted Gustafsson’s statements incorrectly in order to “sell” the news. Kimura.se reports that Michael also said that “the partnership between the Alliance and Alex / Allstar Fitness that it will continue cooperation for a long time to come. Thoughts on finishing the fine relationship that the two clubs have between them does not exist and has never existed.
“Rumors of a bout between Davis and Alex is also not [accurate], it is just something the media created out of thin air.”
(The often scruffy, always inscrutable Alexander Gustafsson | Photo via MMAnytt.se)
Yesterday we shared a report that quoted UFC light heavyweight champion contender Alexander Gustafsson as saying that he no longer planned to train in San Diego with the Alliance team or Phil Davis before fights. “Now I’m in that stage of my career that I will compete three or four times a year, so I can not hold on and go off all the time,” Gustafsson said. “It costs too much and it takes too much time away from my family. It’s simply not worth it.”
Furthermore, Gustafsson said that he believed that he and Davis would soon fight again so, you know…awkward. “We both belong to the top, and that’s not a difficult guess that we’ll meet again soon…it feels better to not train together right now,” Gus said.
Well, Gustafsson’s head trainer Andreas Michael is now saying that the media took the fighter’s words out of context. In an interview with Kimura.se the coach says that the media interpreted Gustafsson’s statements incorrectly in order to “sell” the news. Kimura.se reports that Michael also said that “the partnership between the Alliance and Alex / Allstar Fitness that it will continue cooperation for a long time to come. Thoughts on finishing the fine relationship that the two clubs have between them does not exist and has never existed.
“Rumors of a bout between Davis and Alex is also not [accurate], it is just something the media created out of thin air.”
Well, not so much “thin air” as they were Gustafsson’s own words, but alright. Michael certainly seems upsets by the reports of Gustafsson’s leaving Alliance but doesn’t actually refute any of the important specifics — namely that Alexander will hold his training camps in Sweden instead of San Diego from now on and that the Swedish fighter believes it is inevitable that he and Davis will fight again soon so he prefers not to train with the national champion wrestler right now.
If Gustafsson’s coach won’t refute any of the reported facts, why is he so upset? Who knows?
Perhaps Gustafsson wasn’t supposed to talk publicly about his plans before all the details could be worked out. It isn’t uncommon for teams to enter into business relationships in which fighters sign to train with and pay a percentage of their purses for a set period of time or number fights.
If that is/was the case with Gustafsson and Alliance, he may still need to figure out how to fulfill a contract to them and/or pay them fees even if he wants to train elsewhere. Alliance head coach Eric Del Fierro told MMA Junkie that he didn’t know how Gustafsson camps would proceed because he hadn’t been told, but seemed to express optimism that he and Alliance would still be able to work in consultation with the fighter, remotely, as they did before Alexander trained to fight Gegard Mousasi.
As suspected, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones will attempt to make his seventh title defense against Glover Teixeira on February 1st at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, as the main event of UFC 169. Newsday confirmed the story, adding the following details:
The UFC typically holds its Super Bowl weekend show in Las Vegas, but since broadcast partner Fox will air the NFL’s premier showcase event, executives wanted both events in the same area. MetLife Stadium hosts Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, the first time the NFL has held the game outdoors in a cold-weather city. Tickets for UFC 169 will go on sale to the public on Oct. 25.
As suspected, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones will attempt to make his seventh title defense against Glover Teixeira on February 1st at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, as the main event of UFC 169. Newsday confirmed the story, adding the following details:
The UFC typically holds its Super Bowl weekend show in Las Vegas, but since broadcast partner Fox will air the NFL’s premier showcase event, executives wanted both events in the same area. MetLife Stadium hosts Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, the first time the NFL has held the game outdoors in a cold-weather city. Tickets for UFC 169 will go on sale to the public on Oct. 25.
UFC officials announced today that the heavyweight showdown between Frank Mir and Alistair Overeem has been rescheduled to UFC 169 on February 1, 2014.
The move was determined in conjunction with the Nevada State Athletic Commission representatives to provide more time following Frank Mir’s recent August 31st competition.
While there was no indication whatsoever that Mir wouldn’t be fully, medically cleared in time to compete on November 16th, UFC officials and Nevada Commission representatives believed that a short postponement would allow both athletes more time to train for the bout.
Although Rogan is often known for his hyperbole, he might have been dead-on that night. Was “Bones” vs. “The Mauler” really the greatest 205-pound title fight in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship? To determine the veracity of that statement, I went back and watched the best light heavyweight fights ever held inside the Octagon, and after countless hours of tape study, I feel as though I’ve come up with a very fair list.
Below I’ve listed what in my opinion are the top 10 light heavyweight fights in UFC history based on a mixed criteria of competitiveness, excitement level, hype, how the fight played out in comparison to its expectations, and how it ended. So without any further ado, let’s get started…
Machida had just knocked out Rashad Evans at UFC 98 and, in the fateful words of Joe Rogan, the “Machida Era” had commenced. However, “Shogun” had a thing or two to say about that as the former PRIDE star was coming off of two TKO wins over Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman, and he wanted to prove to everyone it was he, not Machida, who was the best light heavyweight in the world at the time.
For five rounds, Machida and “Shogun” went toe-to-toe in the Octagon and although Machida definitely had his moments in the match, it appeared to most observers that there would be a new light heavyweight champion crowned, as Rua landed a ton of brutal leg kicks to Machida that left the champ’s torso and thighs looking like a bruised peach.
But while “Shogun” arguably won every round of the fight, the judges somehow saw the fight in favor of Machida, with all three scoring the bout 48-47 in favor of “The Dragon” despite the volume of leg kicks thrown by Rua, leading judge Cecil People to idiotically declare that leg kicks don’t finish fights. UFC president Dana White saw things differently, however, and set up an immediate rematch at UFC 113 where Rua KO’d Machida into oblivion — a happy ending to an infamous screwjob.
Although Rogan is often known for his hyperbole, he might have been dead-on that night. Was “Bones” vs. “The Mauler” really the greatest 205-pound title fight in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship? To determine the veracity of that statement, I went back and watched the best light heavyweight fights ever held inside the Octagon, and after countless hours of tape study, I feel as though I’ve come up with a very fair list.
Below I’ve listed what in my opinion are the top 10 light heavyweight fights in UFC history based on a mixed criteria of competitiveness, excitement level, hype, how the fight played out in comparison to its expectations, and how it ended. So without any further ado, let’s get started…
Machida had just knocked out Rashad Evans at UFC 98 and, in the fateful words of Joe Rogan, the “Machida Era” had commenced. However, “Shogun” had a thing or two to say about that as the former PRIDE star was coming off of two TKO wins over Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman, and he wanted to prove to everyone it was he, not Machida, who was the best light heavyweight in the world at the time.
For five rounds, Machida and “Shogun” went toe-to-toe in the Octagon and although Machida definitely had his moments in the match, it appeared to most observers that there would be a new light heavyweight champion crowned, as Rua landed a ton of brutal leg kicks to Machida that left the champ’s torso and thighs looking like a bruised peach.
But while “Shogun” arguably won every round of the fight, the judges somehow saw the fight in favor of Machida, with all three scoring the bout 48-47 in favor of “The Dragon” despite the volume of leg kicks thrown by Rua, leading judge Cecil People to idiotically declare that leg kicks don’t finish fights. UFC president Dana White saw things differently, however, and set up an immediate rematch at UFC 113 where Rua KO’d Machida into oblivion — a happy ending to an infamous screwjob.
The UFC promoted this fight as a title unification bout between Jackson, who had just won the UFC title from Chuck Liddell via first-round TKO at UFC 71, and Henderson, who was a two-division champ coming over from PRIDE. But even though it was a title fight, since it took place in England the UFC decided to put the tape-delayed event on SPIKE TV instead of pay-per-view, which turned out to be a great idea as 4.7 million viewers tuned in to watch what became one of the biggest MMA fights in TV history.
The match delivered as much action as it promised, with Henderson and “Rampage” going back-and-forth for five rounds with both men displaying their excellence in striking and wrestling. After it was all said and done, “Rampage” won a unanimous decision, a victory that gave him the only successful defense of his UFC light heavyweight title. As for Henderson, he finally earned another crack at the UFC light heavyweight title in 2012 — a full five years after the fight with Rampage — but after the fiasco of UFC 151 he never ended up getting his shot at the belt. And at 43 years old now and coming off of two losses, it’s doubtful that he will again.
Rampage’s next outing was his five-round battle at UFC 86 against Forrest Griffin, which followed a coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter season seven — the same show that rocketed Griffin to stardom just three years earlier.
Griffin entered the fight as a big underdog, as most fans thought Jackson’s knockout power and wrestling skills would make it an easy second title defense for him. But the fight sure didn’t play out that way, as Griffin used leg kicks and submission attempts to make it competitive throughout and a true coin-flip on the judges’ cards.
At the end of five rounds, Griffin was announced the winner by unanimous decision and in the process became the second TUF winner to win a UFC title (after Matt Serra the previous year). However, the fight was not without controversy as “Rampage” and many media and fans felt he should have won the decision.
But he didn’t, and that night at UFC 86 was the last time Jackson would ever hold a UFC belt. As for Griffin, he fought another TUF winner, Rashad Evans, in his first title defense at UFC 92, and was knocked out. And, like Jackson, he never came close to sniffing the belt ever again.
The seventh fight on this list is one of three bouts to feature current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and it only came together as a result of the debacle that was UFC 151. Jones had been set to face Dan Henderson at UFC 151, but “Hendo” pulled out of the fight just a week earlier and Jones refused to face Chael Sonnen on short notice. After Lyoto Machida refused to fight Jones for a second time on short notice, the UFC then recruited middleweight Vitor Belfort to move back up to 205 and try to win back the UFC light heavyweight championship, a belt he held briefly in 2004 when he “stopped” Randy Couture with a cut at UFC 46.
Belfort wasn’t supposed to stand a chance in the matchup, but in the first round he caught Jones in a tight armbar and nearly shocked the world. However, Jones — even though he damaged his arm in the process — fought through the early adversity and then poured it on a game Belfort until the fourth round, when the champ was able to coax a stoppage with a keylock submission.
Although he did win, the fight wasn’t as one-sided as Jones’s previous conquests and it showed that the champ was vulnerable and not as unstoppable as many had previously thought, a point which was driven home in his most recent fight against Alexander Gustafsson. As for Belfort, he used the loss to Jones as fuel for a run at middleweight and he’s since knocked out Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold in scintillating fashion to emerge as one of the top contenders at 185 pounds.
6. Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, UFC 140
(Photo via Tracy Lee/Yahoo!)
2011 saw Jon Jones choke out Ryan Bader, become light heavyweight champion with a TKO of Shogun Rua, and stop Quinton Jackson with a fourth-round rear-naked choke. For an encore performance, he would have his fourth fight of the year against Lyoto Machida. It turned out to be by far his most difficult match to date, as the elusive Machida was able to outstrike Jones in round one and even rock the young champion at one point, something which no one else had ever done to him inside the Octagon.
But Jones battled back hard and in the second round he began taking it to Machida before snatching “The Dragon’s” neck in a standing guillotine choke. As soon as the referee told Jones to break, he let the choke go and Machida dropped to the canvas, unconscious and with his eyes pointing into nowhere. Jones, meanwhile, just walked away.
Jones has since made four more title defenses to break the former record held by Tito Ortiz, proving without a doubt he is the greatest light heavyweight fighter in the history of the sport. As for Machida, he’s since dropped down to 185 pounds as he looks to become the third fighter in UFC history to win belts in two different weight classes after Randy Couture and BJ Penn previously accomplished the feat.
On the next page: A record-breaking rematch, Tito battles the Shamrocks, and the greatest 205-pound title war is revealed…
