Alexander Gustafsson wants Jon Jones to defeat Daniel Cormier when they face each other at UFC 182 on January 3rd. But there lies an ulterior motive behind it.
Jones and Gustafsson are no strangers to one another. Among all the beasts "Bones" had faced in the UFC's talent-laden 205-pound division, it was the Swede "Mauler" who was able to inflict the most damage when they fought at UFC 165 in September 2013. So much so that Jones immediately had to be brought to the hospital right after the fight to be stitched up from the cuts from Gustafsson's strikes.
Unfortunately for the former title challenger, he was not able to do enough to emerge victorious, and the belt remained strapped to the reigning champion's waist.
Since then, both men have handily disposed of the opponents that were put in front of them. Jones pretty much barreled through Glover Texeira seven months after, while Gustafsson finished off Jimi Manuwa in the second round during their Fight Night headliner in March.
As Jones gears up for his assignment against Cormier, it can be expected that "The Mauler" will be closely watching. In fact, he already knows whom he wants to end up victorious.
"Me personally, I want Jones to win, because I want to fight him," Gustafsson said during this week's edition of The MMA Hour. "If I want to take the belt from anyone, it would be Jones. Not DC."
Gustafsson has clearly made it personal between him and Jones. However, he himself is up for a tough task at hand as he faces heavy-handed Anthony "Rumble" Johnson on January 24th.
Should he win against Johnson, "The Mauler" may likely face the winner of "Bones" vs. "DC". And while facing Jones is on top of his to-do list, he also expressed that he would not mind if Cormier does end up being his next possible opponent.
"Well, I think 'DC' is a great athlete and a great person, so, like I said, it would be great to see him win because it would mix things up," he added.
