For Alexander Gustafsson, it's simple: Sign the bout agreement, Jon Jones

BERLIN – Alexander Gustafsson knows he’s fighting UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but he doesn’t know much about when and where.

“I agreed to the fight, but he hasn’t agreed yet, so I’m waiting for that,” he told MMAjunkie. “I’m still waiting for a time and venue.”

By now, you’d expect the 27-year-old Swede to have that kind of information. One month ago, he watched Jones dismantle Glover Teixeira at UFC 172, and thankfully for him, there was no change of plan that further delayed his rematch with the champion.

Even when Daniel Cormier steamrolled Dan Henderson this past weekend at UFC 173, UFC President Dana White said the title shot was Gustafsson’s and no one else’s.

“[Cormier] is a tough competitor, but I’m first in line,” Gustafsson said.

But there’s one key thing that’s missing from all this: the consent of Jones, who is locked in contract renegotiations with the UFC as the fight looms somewhere in the distance, possibly at UFC 177 on Aug. 30 in Las Vegas.

For Gustafsson, the idea of hashing out a new deal in advance of a big fight is an afterthought; he said he doesn’t do this specifically for money, though he’s thankful the UFC allows him to make a living as a fighter.

Perhaps that’s why he sees the situation a little more simply. Jones, he said, should sign the bout agreement to fight him and get on with it.

“That’s something you sign every fight, and it’s part of the job,” Gustafsson said. “You get a fight opportunity, and you agree on it, and then you sign a bout agreement. No less. It’s a very easy thing to do.

“I don’t know about any of that (with Jones’ negotiations). For me, the UFC is my job. I can live my dream, so for me, it’s not even a question. But that’s just me.”

Jones (20-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), however, is a much different persona than the soft-spoken Gustafsson (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC). It’s hard to imagine the Swede mocking his haters or talking up a crossover career in the entertainment industry. But then again, he hasn’t done what the 26-year-old Jones has done, nor has he felt the same level of pressure in the spotlight.

Next to women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey, Jones is the UFC’s best example of a breakout star, even as he continues to confound and aggravate hardcore fans of the sport.

Gustafsson, meanwhile, will quietly wait for the champ to come around. He said he’s still excited at the prospect of getting a second crack at Jones after a Fight of the Year candidate this past fall at UFC 165 ended in a narrow loss.

He said he plans to “break personal records” in the gym while training for the bout.

And while it appears his dream of fighting in his home country of Sweden is off the table – the UFC recently said UFC 177 is the plan, though it could change – he’s content to fight wherever Jones is.

“I would rather fight, of course, in Sweden, which is my backyard,” Gustafsson said. “But if the fight is not happening there, I would rather it be in Las Vegas.

“I’m not even thinking about how he thinks or what he does. For me, it’s just, sign that bout agreement. Let’s go.”

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