It's no secret that Alexander Gustafsson and Jon Jones have history. The two light heavyweight dynamos went toe-to-toe at UFC 165 in one of the most epic five-round title fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history. To this day, "The Mauler" is the closest fighter to nearly defeat Jones inside of the Octagon.
As Jones continues his comeback from a failed drug test prior to UFC 200, Gustafsson finds himself on the mend in the 205-pound division. He just captured his first UFC victory since 2014 with a decision win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 93 yesterday (Sat., Sept. 3, 2016) in Hamburg, Germany. While the Swedish striker can only worry about himself at this point in his career, he can't help but feel sad about Jones' struggles of late.
"As a role model, people look up to him. It's just sad to see it," said Gustafsson in an interview with Sporting News earlier this week. "He's one of a kind. He's been made something for him that nobody else has ever done in this sport and then he just throws it out the window. I just think it's sad."
This isn't the first time a fellow light heavyweight has felt bad for Jones. After having his rematch with "Bones" yanked from the biggest card of the year (UFC 200), current champion Daniel Cormier also said he didn't like seeing Jones squirm. But in the case of Gustafsson, he's still up for welcoming Jones back to the Octagon.
"As long as he gets me to a title shot, I'm up for anything," added Gustafsson regarding a potential rematch with Jones. "It's not just because it's Jon Jones. I want to take that fight. It's not that. The faster I can get to it, I'll take it. It doesn't matter if it is Jon Jones or anybody else. The fight we had is history to me now."
"It's nothing that before I was looking for that rematch and I wanted it real bad, title fight or not. Right now, I just take every fight that's logical and will take me somewhere. If it's Jon Jones, it's Jon Jones. I'm not going to wait for a second fight."
While everybody has been holding their collective breath for a Jones vs. Gustafsson reboot since they first clashed back in 2013, "The Mauler" doesn't seem willing to wait for a guy who screwed himself. After dominating Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 93, Gustafsson is line for a meaningful 205-pound tilt by year's end.