Alexander Gustafsson-"Whoever they put in front of me next, it must be for the interim title."

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RaginCajun

The Reigning Undisputed Monsters Tournament Champ
Oct 25, 2015
37,251
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UFC's Alexander Gustafsson: My next fight must be for the interim title

When Alexander Gustafsson knocked out Glover Teixeira in the fifth round of a UFC light heavyweight bout last year, he believed he'd earned the right to fight for a UFC title.

And he doesn't see why the UFC should deny him that opportunity just because it pursued a superfight involving his division's champ.

With current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (20-1) scheduled to move up in weight against heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic (18-2) in July, Gustafsson (18-4) says he has asked the UFC to create an interim 205-pound belt.

"Me fighting D.C. [Cormier] for the real title, that opportunity went out the window," Gustafsson said. "I feel I earned my spot off my last performance -- but here we are. With D.C. 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."

Superfights have been a popular topic in the sport of late.

UFC president Dana White has expressed interest in a matchup between female bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and featherweight champ Cris "Cyborg" Justino. He's done the same for a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw, the UFC's bantamweight champion.

Gustafsson, who has suffered two close decision losses in UFC title fights to Jon Jones and Cormier, says he understands the intrigue of superfights but believes No. 1 contenders are forgotten as a result.

And with Cormier, 39, openly pondering retirement within the next year, Gustafsson believes the UFC should do right by him while it promotes its superfight.

"I feel like I've been taking fights and climbing ladders, climbing rankings, my entire career," Gustafsson said. "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.

"D.C. 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 D.C. will do after this fight. He may put his gloves down and walk away."
 

Grateful Dude

TMMAC Addict
May 30, 2016
8,929
14,287
I get what he's saying....but all of these interim titles are ridiculous.

It has become UFIC - Ultimate Fighting Interim Championship

If DC does retire after Stipe though, I have no problem with Gus fighting for the title.
 

aghof

an person
Apr 15, 2015
2,037
3,813
sometimes when there's something you really want in life, you just have to demand it. An interim title is one of those things.
 

nuraknu

savage
Jul 20, 2016
6,246
10,756
It's about earnings potential within a limited period of time, and superfights between champions cap that for top contenders. My memory of payouts is that Gus doesn't necessarily make that much - I have to double check - but either way this is the right business move for him so I don't hold it against him.
 

Tiiimmmaaayyy

First 100 ish
Jan 19, 2015
8,006
9,917
My response is usually that a fighter should fight. If you don’t like your job find something else to do. However, Gus makes a great point. He is the only LHW with a chance to beat DC. He shouldn’t have to sit around and wait to se if DC is going to come back or retire, and he shouldn’t have to keep taking the risks of fighting guys below him until they figure out what to do with the belt. The UFC should lay out a timeframe for him and say that if DC doesn’t compete by (insert date) then he will fight for the interim belt.

Admittedly, I’m a fan of Gus.
 

SickEye

"Sim sala bim bamba sala do saladim"
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
1,428
2,201
Fuck, that finish of Glover was pure poetry.
 

benjo0101

TMMAC Addict
Jun 13, 2016
6,452
7,098
Gus is just desperate to have a belt for his cabinet, that is all he is after here. And the picture on his UFC posters with him holding a belt. Adds to marketability these days.
 

Muridae83

Posting Machine
Nov 3, 2016
1,338
1,502
As i see it, Gus has 2 options... take an unranked fighter as a tune up fight... or demand what hes demanding.
 

Mad Dog

First 100
First 100
Jan 14, 2015
1,458
1,874
The UFC is such a mess right now. I understand why Gus would like to fight for an interim title since DC is off chasing the HW title. DC/Stipe is an interesting fight but it furthers the confusion among the titles. They already blew it all up for McGregor and it's not getting fixed any time soon.

Let them fight for an interim title. Why not. It locks in DC's next challenger if he comes back.