Gus: My next fight MUST be for an interim belt

Alexander Gustafsson knocked out Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 109 on May 28, 2017, in Stockholm, Sweden. It was the fight of the night. Gus and division champion Daniel Cormier fought previously, in 2015, with DC taking a Split Decision. That was the fight of the night too. ‘The Mauler’ is the #1 contender and deserves a title shot.

Unfortunately, Cormier is moving up to fight heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, at UFC 226 on July 7 in the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the superfight putting the unified 205 title out of reach for the time being, Gustafsson wants an interim title fight.

“Me fighting DC for the real title, that opportunity went out the window,” said Gustafsson to ESPN staff writer Brett Okamoto. “I feel I earned my spot off my last performance — but here we are. With DC moving up, the next step for me should be for an interim title. I brought it up to the UFC. Let’s see what happens. All I know is that in my situation, whoever they put in front of me next, it must be for the interim title.”

“I feel like I’ve been taking fights and climbing ladders, climbing rankings, my entire career. I’m 31 years old. I still feel I’ll compete for many years, but right now, every fight has to have a thought behind it. It has to take me the right way. Every fight, you take damage. You take damage in your training camp. I just came back from an injury recently. I’ve got that fire in me, and I want to take a fight that will actually take me towards my goal.

“DC is moving up to heavyweight and that’s good for him and it’s good for the organization, but for me, the No. 1 contender, it’s not fair. It’s not fair at all. And no one knows what DC will do after this fight. He may put his gloves down and walk away.”

“The division is a little crazy right now, it’s no secret, but I earned my spot. It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me, but I want it to be for the interim belt.”