Alexander Gustafsson revealed on Monday that he had shoulder surgery that will sideline him for the foreseeable future.
A UFC light heavyweight title bout between champion Daniel Cormier and No. 2 ranked Volkan Oezdemir has reportedly been in the works for UFC 220 on Jan. 20 in Boston. Oezdemir cast a shadow of doubt on that bout following an arrest for aggravated battery in Florida.
No. 1 ranked Gustafsson would be the obvious option to replace Oezdemir if the UFC were to pull him from the bout, but the Swede has effectively removed himself from consideration anytime soon by undergoing surgery.
Though Gustafsson sounded upbeat in his Instagram post announcing surgery to repair his shoulder, which had been held together for the past few months via a plate and screws, he admitted to now entering a period of “rehab and slowly getting back in 100% training!”
Gustafsson gave no timeline for his return to the Octagon, but the UFC is likely going to want Cormier to fight relatively soon, whether or not Oezdemir or Gustafsson are viable options.
