Despite UFC president Dana White considering Anthony Johnson as the next opponent for former top contender Alexander Gustafsson, "Rumble" has other plans in mind.
"Hopefully I'll be able to fight in late October or something like that if there are any fights open," Johnson told UFC.com. "I was hoping I could fight Ryan Bader in late October and fight [Gustafsson] on the Jon Jones card. That's my idea.
Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will face Daniel Cormier on Jan. 3 after a knee injury forced Jones to pull out of their scheduled Sept. 27 bout. The No. 5-ranked Johnson has quickly moved into contender status after last month's knockout win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. A fight with Gustafsson would likely determine who would be next in line for a title shot, but it seems Johnson wants to take things slow.
"People finally want me to start calling people out, you know what I mean? I never did that before," he said. "But I've always wanted to fight Ryan Bader because I've always thought he was a tough fighter."
Johnson watched Bader dominate Ovince St. Preux in a five-round main event Saturday night, and he wasn't impressed.
"It was a boring fight," Johnson said. "Exciting fighters put on exciting fights, and that's what fans want to see."
Gustafsson, Jones' original opponent who had to pull out due to a knee injury, has become the odd man out in the 205-pound division. Upset at being left out of the UFC 182 title bout, "The Mauler" resumed training this week after undergoing surgery on Aug. 5 and said he would be ready to face Jones on Jan. 3, which is perfect timing for Johnson.
"It will be a good fight. Gus is taller than me, but I think we have the same amount of length of reach. So it'll be interesting," Johnson said. "Gus likes to move a lot and I like to stalk people and see what they have to offer. It will be a hell of fight. I definitely want to give the fans what they want to see. Hopefully we can make the Jones-Cormier fight, one of those fights where that whole card is like a preview of what the light heavyweights have to offer."
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