If UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier isn’t available, top ranked contender Alexander Gustafsson is more than happy to take out his frustrations on Luke Rockhold instead.
As Cormier prepares for his summer time showdown with heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, the light heavyweight division remains in limbo with Gustafsson sitting at the top of the rankings just waiting for his shot at the title.
Unfortunately, Cormier will likely be tied up until at least the latter part of 2018, which leaves Gustafsson in the unfortunate position of waiting with no real timeline on when he might get his shot at the gold.
So Gustafsson has decided to turn his attention to Cormier’s longtime teammate and close friend Luke Rockhold, who just recently said he was planning a move to 205 pounds sooner rather than later.
“I want Daniel Cormier and knocking you out will keep me warm in the meantime” ~ Alexander Gustafsson to Luke Rockhold
“Luke Rockhold — your teammate is holding my division hostage, and you think there are only easy fights at light heavyweight,” Gustafsson wrote on Instagram. “If you think [Yoel] Romero hits hard, then wait till you come to the big boys.
“I want Daniel Cormier and knocking you out will keep me warm in the meantime. Beware of coming up in weight because I will be standing at the front door waiting.”
Of course, Rockhold is just days removed from suffering a third round knockout loss to Yoel Romero, which dropped his recent record to 1-2 in the middleweight division.
Rockhold has struggled through some hard weight cuts to get down to 185 pounds in recent years and he felt like a move to a bigger division was inevitable. It’s unclear if this recent setback will push Rockhold towards a change in scenery to 205 pounds now or if this loss will motivate him to come back and face another top ranked middleweight.
Gustafsson is obviously more than happy to give him a shot against the No. 1 ranked contender in the light heavyweight division on his first day at 205 pounds if the UFC can put the matchup together.
Do you like this potential matchup between Alexander Gustafsson and Luke Rockhold? Let us know in the comments below.
