Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira Match is Confirmed
BY MMA FIGHTING.COM
Alexander Gustafsson will have to wait before getting another crack at the UFC light heavyweight title.
Jon Jones’ next title defense will be against Glover Teixeira, possibly as soon as Feb. 1 in Newark, N.J., UFC president Dana White told ESPN.com Wednesday.
“That’s what the champ wants,” White said. “We’ll probably have that fight on the Super Bowl card in New Jersey.”
White added that Gustafsson will fight again “around the same time” in his home country of Sweden, but he didn’t have an exact date or opponent lined up yet.
Jones (19-1) defeated Gustafsson (15-2) via unanimous decision last weekend at UFC 165, in what many consider to be the best light heavyweight title fight of all-time.
Team Jones initially feared he broke his left foot early in the fight, but an MRI on Wednesday revealed there was no structural damage to his foot, only deep bruising.
“Bones” told FOX Sports 1’s “UFC Tonight” on Wednesday that he initially thought the most fair thing to do was grant Gustafsson an immediate rematch because the fight was so close, however, after watching the fight over ten times since Saturday night, he now believes that he decisively won rounds two, four and five. As a result, the champion now thinks “the most fair thing to do is grant the next deserving contender” a shot at the title, he said.
That next contender is Teixeira (22-2), who has won his last 20 in a row, including five straight inside the Octagon. The Brazilian most recently defeated Ryan Bader via first-round TKO last month.
Historically, the UFC has held its Super Bowl weekend card in Las Vegas, however, since this year’s game, which will take place in New Jersey, will air on FOX, the promotion decided to move it to Newark.
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