Alexander Gustafsson On Jon Jones: He Is Doing Everything He Can To Avoid Fighting Me
Alexander Gustafsson is finally back in the frame for another shot at the light-heavyweight championship; after putting on a fight of the year performance against Jon Jones at UFC 165, Gus was unfortunate to be denied the rematch. He went on to smash the dangerous Jimi Manuwa at UFC London earlier this month, and things are looking up for ‘The Mauler’. Nothing is a sure thing until it happens, and Gustafsson is well aware of that. Check out what he had to say while talking with MMAJunkie:
“I’m a fighter and I want to fight. Basically, if Jones beats Teixeira, I want that title shot right away. If he doesn’t win (and they give him a rematch), then I’ll have to look at other possibilities. But I’m fighting whoever they gave me. That’s just the way I am.” “I think Jones is going to win the fight by decision,” he said. “Glover is a great fighter and a very tough fighter. Jones has to respect his power – he’s a dangerous fighter with a knockout chance. But Jones has too many tools for Glover, and I don’t think Glover is fast enough for Jones. He’s the type of fighter that fits Jones very well.”
UFC 172 in Baltimore will be the venue for Jones’ title defense against Glover Teixeira and, like Gus, many fans feel that the Brazilian slugger is tailor made for ‘Bones’. Gustafsson then discussed his scrap against Jones, and the emotional impact of such a brutal battle:
“It took me a while, actually, to get over it,” Gustafsson said.“The physical part of it was very easy. I wasn’t that banged up. I was back in training after two weeks. But it was the mental things, the motivation, and I was so disappointed over everything. So it took a while. But when I heard I was fighting Jimi Manuwa, I knew I had to let the past go and get 100 percent focused on Manuwa. I knew that guy was very dangerous and hits very hard. So I just let the past go and saw my next challenge.”
Gus performed very well against a risky opponent in ‘The Poster Boy’, scoring an extremely impressive knockout win against the man many had pegged as the heavier striker. ‘The Mauler’ then gave his opinion on Jones ‘avoiding’ a rematch of their UFC 165 classic:
“In my mind, Jones is doing everything he can to not fight me. He doesn’t want to fight me,” he said. “So I think he’s trying to mix things up. But the only fight that makes sense for me right now is if he wins against Teixeira, its me fighting him.”
A rematch against Jones would be a godsend for the UFC, as they find themselves very short on active superstars. A huge fight promotion like the UFC must be very hard to run in times like these, and the Gus-Jones rematch is far from a sure thing. It strikes me that Gustafsson’s motive to stay active will probably help his case for the title shot, but as I said; Nothing is a sure thing.
