Though company president Dana White said it made sense following Saturday’s fight, UFC announced Wednesday that Alexander Gustafsson will not receive an instant rematch against Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.
Instead, Jones will next defend his gold against top contender Glover Teixeira.
Teixeira was billed as the next contender prior to Saturday’s UFC 165 main event, but after Gustafsson pushed Jones to the limit in an instant classic, clamoring immediately began for a rematch. After all, even though Jones won the unanimous decision, a vocal contingent of fans felt Gustafsson actually won the fight.
But White confirmed to ESPN that his company will move forward with the original plan. And according to White, the decision came after Jones made a personal request for a fight with Teixeira.
“That’s what the champ wants,” said White. “We’ll probably have that fight on the Super Bowl card in New Jersey.”