Finally, the hold up in UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones making his fight with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 177 official is revealed--he doesn't want to fight Gustafsson. According to UFC president Dana White, Jones has another opponent on the brain, Daniel Cormier.
Dana White spills beans on Jon Jones bout agreement hold up
"Just to clear up a couple things, people think we're in contract negotiations with Jon Jones -- we're not," White said. "Jon Jones still has five fights on his contract.
"So, what we're doing right now is trying to get him to sign the bout agreement for Gustafsson. He doesn't want to fight Gustafsson. (UFC co-owner) Lorenzo (Fertitta) and I have a meeting with Jones on Thursday to get him to sign the bout agreement and he's asking to fight Cormier instead."
Some will consider this an attempt to duck Gustafsson, who gave Jones the fight of his life at UFC 165. The bout was very close, with Jones taking the victory by dominating the fifth and final round and punctuating it with a signature spinning back elbow. Still, Gustafsson destroyed Jones' aura of invincibility and left him bloodied.
There are two potential saving graces in this situation for Jones. The first is that he was the champion when he took on Gustafsson, so in defending his belt it isn't typical for a champion to defeat a challenger then be forced into a rematch. Second, Daniel Cormier is not considered a lesser foe. In fact, DC has more quality wins than Gustafsson on his resume, and has never lost a single round of UFC action.
A few days ago Gustafsson firmly stated he should be next for a shot at Jones' title. "[Cormier] is a tough competitor, but I'm first in line," Gustafsson said.
While Cormier appears to be just as formidable a foe, Gustafsson's been "the guy" for months. It's unlikely the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, who has already won a bout with Gustafsson would be "scared," and comments made by Jones in April may betray "Bones'" real motives for holding up the bout.
Daniel Cormier wants to beat Jones for title, not anyone else
"I respected him a lot more before we fought," Jones told Fox Sports. "I'll tell you what, he has so much arrogance for someone who didn't win."
He continued, "I find it funny, because Gustafsson lost the fight fair and square. I will admit he won Round 1 and Round 3, but that's it. I won the fight.
"I've never heard someone chirp so much who lost. I could see if I poked him in the eye and the fight had to be stopped or I caught him with a big punch while he was winning and it was a fluke or something. But it was nothing like that."
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