Jon Jones has agreed to defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Alexander Gustafsson. Officials announced the championship match for UFC 178 this September late Thursday night.
The card takes place from Toronto, the site of the first Jones-Gustafsson fight, which “Bones” won via decision. Both men have picked up victories since that night, as Jones defended his title against Glover Teixeira, while Gustafsson stopped Jimi Manuwa.
Recently, Jones stated his desire to test his skills against Daniel Cormier – and not Gustafsson – next. However, he agreed to the fight during a meeting in Las Vegas with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta.
“I think Cormier is the tougher fighter, but the fans want to see me fight Gustafsson,” Jones said. “There was never an issue taking the Gustafsson fight. The issue was that my brother is getting married in July and I would have preferred a later date. I didn’t want to go this early and I would have preferred to go later in October or November. It is what it is. We have a date now. This was a personal decision for me. I will be at my brother’s wedding and have a proper training camp.”
Jones has a 20-1 overall record, including seven successful title defenses. Gustafsson is 16-2, with 10 of his pro wins coming via knockout.
White sees the whole situation between Jones, Gustafsson and Cormier as a win-win for his promotion and MMA fans.
“The great thing about this is, we get Jones vs. Gustafsson and if Jones beats Gustafsson, we get Jones vs. Cormier,” White continued. “Two great fights in the light heavyweight division with three of the baddest guys in the world; the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and champion Jon Jones, and the No. 1 and 2 contenders.”
