Alexander Gustafsson Speaks Out About Injury That Forced Him Out Of Rematch With Jon Jones

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Almost as soon as soon as his rematch with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was announced, it was taken away because of an injury and Alexander Gustafsson has finally opened up about it.

The good news is that the torn meniscus that Gustafsson suffered while sparring earlier this week will only keep him out for about five to six weeks after surgery.

“I was sparring and I felt my knee pop twice, but it didn’t hurt. It just felt strange,” he told UFC.com. “I finished training and came home, and then I woke up the next morning and I could barely walk on my right leg. Then I felt the knee right away.”

Gustafsson (8-2 UFC), who narrowly lost a September 2013 title fight in Toronto to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones (14-1 UFC), was slotted to get his rematch at UFC 178, which takes place Sept. 27 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. Following Gustafsson’s injury, Cormier (4-0 UFC) was named the pay-per-view replacement.

Gustafsson told UFC.com he still wants to fight Jones, and he thinks he’ll have the opportunity after UFC 178. He predicted that ‘Bones’ would get past his challenger.

“It’s an interesting matchup,” he said of Jones vs. Cormier. “Both are great athletes, and it’s going to be a tough fight for sure. But Jones has his height and reach advantage over ‘DC,’ so I think that will be the key thing in this fight. I think Jones by decision.”