“Rumble” Thinks Alexander Gustafsson Is As Dangerous As Jon Jones
Top UFC light-heavyweight contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson were recently booked to fight at UFC on FOX 14 in January 2015, after months of dancing around the idea by both camps. “The Mauler” originally seemed intent on only rematching Jon Jones as his next fight, but Daniel Cormier’s influence and an injury to “Bones” soon saw that idea torn apart.
Also, “Rumble” has put in some very impressive work lately; dispatching Anotonio Rodrigo Nogueira in one round, and also bullying Phil Davis for three. A lot has been said of the dangerous striking of “Rumble”, but the Blackzilians product is only too aware of Gustafsson’s abilities. Check out what AJ told Kimura.se, as transcribed by MMAMania:
“Of course, he’s (Alexander Gustafsson) definitely my toughest opponent. Have you seen that guy fight? He moves well, he punches well and he doesn’t really get hit. I think the only person that really hit him was Jon Jones a couple of times. You see the difference between Jon Jones and Alexander after that fight. Jones is a beast, don’t get me wrong, he’s the greatest of all time at 205 and he’s proven that over and over again. But, Alexander is a beast too.”
“I’m honored to be in the same weight class as those two guys. So, to me that’s exciting. Hopefully I get old and grey and I can sit down and sit by the campfire and talk to the younger generation and tell them, ‘hey, this is what I did when I was in my prime.’ Hopefully I can tell some good stories when I’m old.”
In what will be a huge battle for the next contender to the 205-pound strap, Johnson faces his biggest challenge in the most important fight of his career. It’s seems strange to think back to a time when AJ was a bloated welterweight that crushed scales and was eventually sacked by the UFC.
Now matured ten-fold, is this the time for Johnson to prove he is the best light-heavyweight on the planet, or will Gus get the rematch of the FOTY winner against Jones at UFC 165? Or will DC throw another spanner in the works by besting “Bones” at UFC 183? Perhaps “The Mauler” will face Jones if he loses to “Rumble” and “Bones” loses his belt….
