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[Sakara=Excitement]

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Despite a dominant win over former champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (22-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in what was billed as a No. 1 contender's bout on Saturday, Alexander Gustafsson (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) said he won't wait around for a title shot.

And, in fact, his next fight could already be lined up.

Following Gustafsson's UFC on FOX 5 co-main event win at Seattle's KeyArena, UFC President Dana White told FUEL TV the Swedish fighter could replace Dan Henderson in his UFC 157 bout with ex-champ Lyoto Machida in early 2013.

Henderson, of course, was slated to fight reigning light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones back in September. But Henderson suffered a knee injury, Jones went on to defeat replacement Vitor Belfort, and then in a surprising twist, the champ was booked with recent middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 17." They'll then headline an April 27 pay-per-view event, which likely puts the winner on the shelf until well into the summer.

So Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) then was slated to fight Machida (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) on Feb. 23 in Anaheim, Calif. However, Gustafsson could take his slot.

It's not clear if Henderson will be forced out of the pay-per-view event, which will receive some extra attention due to the headliner (newly crowned women's champ Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche), but Gustafsson said he's open to the fight with Machida, which would come in just 11 weeks.

Since a submission loss to now-teammate Phil Davis at UFC 112, Gustafsson has won six consecutive fights against some of the division's top fighters. And his reach and range make him an attractive option for Jones, whose own physical attributes have resulted in one dominant performance after another.

A lot could change between now and then, though. Henderson's knee could turn out to be fine, Sonnen could upset Jones, and Gustafsson's spot in the title line could be pushed back even further.

While he won't wait on the sidelines for his opportunity, he said his eye is squarely on the big prize.

[Leucoethiops]

Bleh, stayed away from boxing forum and news site to avoid getting the Pacquiao Marquez fight spoiled, only to have you spoil it.

[Qball1974]

Someone had to think they were cool to be first.

[MIZjitsZOU]

Originally Posted by Leucoethiops

Bleh, stayed away from boxing forum and news site to avoid getting the Pacquiao Marquez fight spoiled, only to have you spoil it.

Thanks for ruining Wrestlemania 6 for me...who would have thunk it would end in ultimate warrior bj

j/k but you did have to know someone was going to spoil it

[JPeezy]

I could see that fight taking place, then after Jones beats Sonnen he calls out Henderson and gets that fight instead of the Machida/Gustafson winner.

[Lesnar_FTW]

Really sucks if Hendo's knee is still messed up. I hope he gets back to 100% soon and gets his shot against Jones.

[iced]

Originally Posted by JPeezy

I could see that fight taking place, then after Jones beats Sonnen he calls out Henderson and gets that fight instead of the Machida/Gustafson winner.

i really really hope that is how it all goes down! i like gustafson vs machida better anyways so i do hope he replaces dan, and hendo somehow gets the title shot that he should be fighting for.

[rob_bills]

I'd like to see Goose fight a wrestler, someone like Rashad. If he does beat Machida thn we still dont know where his wrasslin is at now. Having said that, he did some nice little throws and stuff against Shogun, but I would like to see his defensive wrestling

[Sakara=Excitement]

Goose fought Davis, Hammil, and the Janitor. That's 3 wrestlers right there.

[FedortheCan]

But I thought Dana said the winner of the Shogun vs Gus fight was going to get Jones next? Now that Gus wins, he thinks Gus should take another fight? I used to have neutral feelings about Dana but now Im starting to feel like Pashak does. Dana is just a double talking douche bag and I wish he would really shut up