Although he was originally scheduled to fight his well-deserved rematch against Jon “Bones” Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, number-one ranked contender Alexander Gustafsson was pushed aside when an injury derailed his title aspirations.
UFC quickly scrambled and decided that “The Mauler” would have to wait for his title shot, as he would challenge the winner of the newly made title match: Jones vs. Daniel Cormier. However, fate reared its’ ugly head back into the picture and that fight became postponed as well.
“Bones” Jones was injured, the fight with “D.C.” was delayed, so Gustafsson is back in the front of the line, right?
Wrong.
After a crazy brawl led to added interest in a Jones-Cormier fight, Gustafsson was told that once Jones is healthy again, “Bones'” next title challenger will still be the American Kickboxing Academy standout.
If you’re expecting Cormier to lead a pity-party for the Swedish superstar, you’ve got another thing coming.
On Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com, Cormier explained that it’s just a matter of circumstances playing out as they did.
“It’s circumstance, man,” Cormier told “MMA Hour” host Ariel Helwani. “A lot of things come down to circumstance. This job [with UFC Tonight], circumstance. The fight with Jon, it’s circumstance. You know, like me winning the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, circumstances. Sometimes things come down to the person that’s willing to step up when an opportunity if presented. I did.”
“Did we know, Jon and I, that it would be so electric? No. It’s taken on a life of its own and now it’s like he can’t get back in his place,” D.C. said of Gustafsson’s reaction to the news.
Cormier continued, “But no, I mean, I’m not going to feel bad for him now, and I’m not going to feel bad for him when he’s waiting at the end of 2015 to fight for the title, because I’m going to win and then Jones is going to get a rematch. So, it’s like, Alexander Gustafsson, he was the victim of circumstance. But no, I don’t feel bad for him at all.”
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier takes place at UFC 182 on January 3, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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