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The UFC‘s light-heavyweight division is currently being dominated by Jon Jones. To date, Jones has defeated the likes of Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua, Ryan Bader and Brandon Vera. The way Jones has dominated his competition is downright scary, and this was again evident when he defeated Chael Sonnen this weekend at UFC 159.
So who’s left for the champ? Many fans believe it’s either between Machida or Alexander Gustafsson. Luckily, Gustafsson wants a bout with Machida in order to get a shot at Jones, which is a compelling bout in many regards. On The MMA Hour, Gustafsson spoke to Ariel Helwani about whom he wants to face next inside the octagon.
“If Jones can’t fight, which I would understand because (his injury) looked very nasty and could be out awhile, then I will fight Machida, too. But, if Jones can fight in a few months, I would love to fight him.”
Both fighters would be able to square off, so Jones could heal up his injured toe, which he suffered in his bout with Sonnen. Stylistically, a Machida vs. Gustafsson bout would be compelling in terms of the stand up game. Both are known for executing crisp striking techniques and using their distance to gain the upper hand on their opponents.
Gustafsson is one of the biggest light heavyweights in the UFC, standing 6’5 with a 77-inch reach. His stand up game has come around quite nicely, which was on full display in his decision win over Shogun. Now 15-1 in his fighting career, he finally has a chance to compete for a championship if he can come out the victor against Machida.
Machida is one of the only fighters to hold a round over Jones, so it will be interesting to see if he can get a rematch with him. However, Gustafsson is a tough outing for any fighter, so he will need to look sharp and establish his timing early in hopes of coming out the victor. In Machida’s last bout, he faced Dan Henderson in what wasn’t the most exciting affair. Despite the slow fight, the judges ultimately gave him the nod. Now, he has the chance to seize his championship dreams if he can get past Gustafsson, which would take place sometime later this year.
