After coming up short in his bid to capture the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight title on three separate occasions, Alexander Gustafsson may be running out of opportunities to win the 205-pound division strap. Especially if Jon Jones decides to stick around the Light Heavyweight division for the remainder of his career. But, that doesn’t mean “The Mauler” is giving up on his championship dreams so easily.
“Yeah, it’s not over yet,” he said during the UFC 232 post-fight presser (via MMA Junkie). “Let’s see what’s next. Like always, you do this for a reason, and it’s to compete with the best guys out there, and that’s what I’ll do. I will do it as long as I think it’s fun.”
Being one of the biggest 205-pound fighters in the division, a move up to Heavyweight seems like a simple transition for the towering Swede. Banging with the big boys of the 265-pound weight class is something that could intrigue Gus into packing on a bit more weight in search for gold.
“Yeah, of course. The Heavyweight division is also an alternative. I’m here to fight, either if it’s at light heavy or heavy. I have to talk to my coaches and see what’s next,” he concluded.
With Heavyweight kingpin Daniel Cormier — who also holds a championship win over Gustafsson — set to retire pretty soon, the weight class will be searching for a new man to lead the big men in 2019 and beyond.
That means a win or two up north could put Gus back into a title fight sooner, rather than later. Meanwhile, If he chooses to remain at 205 pounds, there are several fights he can still engage in, too.
Of course, if he reels off another impressive win streak, then perhaps the promotion will have no other choice but to book a trilogy fight between Gus and “Bones” should Jones still be the leader of the pack at that time.
After all, Jones isn’t opposed to fighting a guy a third time after stomping him out on two separate occasions.
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