Alexander Gustafsson won't accept any fights before a title shot

Alexander Gustafsson lost his rematch with Jon Jones when he suffered an injury. Daniel Cormier was able to step in to Gustafsson's role, but when Jones went down with an injury, Gustafsson thought he should be re-inserted for the January title fight. He was, after all, the number one contender.

But, the heat between Jones and Cormier was making for such hype that Cormier was guaranteed that he would keep his title shot.

Ariel Helwani stated on UFC Tonight that Gustafsson has no intention of taking any fights until he gets his title shot, "Let’s just say that Alexander Gustafsson is not happy right now. I spoke to his manager and told me he’ll be ready to fight by January 3rd. He’ll do whatever he can to not get passed by and won’t accept any other fights before his chance at the title."

The danger here is that Jones fought twice in 2013 and 2014, with the Cormier bout planned for January, it could be another 4-6 months before Jones (should he defend his title) is ready to get back in the cage. Gustafsson has only fought once since he lost to Jones in their fantastic first fight.

The hype for a rematch isn't going to last forever and Gustafsson's one fight since Jones was on Fight Pass in front of a small audience. Keeping a low profile isn't the best way to build toward a big rematch.