Jon Jones Not Signed For Rematch With Gustafsson

Could the highly anticipated rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson for the UFC light heavyweight title be on hold again? A fight agreement for Jones and Gustafsson to fight in Las Vegas August 30 is on the table, but UFC President Dana White and other sources have confirmed that Jones has not signed the deal for the fight.

The news is not making White happy, who acknowledged that he wants Jones to sign the deal.

“People think we’re in contract negotiations with Jon Jones — we’re not,” White said. “Jon Jones still has five fights left on his contract. So what we’re doing right now is trying to get him to sign the bout agreement for Gustafsson. He doesn’t want to fight Gustafsson.”

Despite not having the deal signed, White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have a scheduled meeting with Jones on Thursday to persuade the current champion to sign the deal.

“We’re going to walk him through why it makes sense to fight Alexander Gustafsson and we’re going to make an offer to extend his contract,” Fertitta said.

Undefeated contender and rival Daniel Cormier is on the sights of Jon Jones instead of Alexander Gustafsson (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Both Jones and Gustafsson are coming off wins, with the champ defeating Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision in a fight very one-sided, while Gustafsson ended Jimi Manuwa’s unbeaten record in March. Back at UFC 165 in September 2013, Jones defeated Gustafsson by unanimous decision in a five-round war that is still considered one of the best title fights in UFC history. It marked the first time Jones had trouble retaining his belt as Gustafsson landed 110 significant strikes and took Jones down to the ground for the first time in his career. UFC fans called for an immediate rematch between the two, but seemed to agree to a rematch after Jones’ fight with Teixeira.

Instead of Gustafsson, Jones has expressed interested in fighting undefeated light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier, who defeated Dan Henderson by submission at UFC 173 last month. The two have bad blood between each other, including an incident where they nearly came to blows at an awards show three years ago. Cormier dropped down from heavyweight to the light heavyweight division, and has called out Jones frequently.

The current situation with the UFC and Jones is not the first time the two have been at odds over fights in the past. In September 2011, the UFC cancelled UFC 151 after Jones refused to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice. White blamed Jones for the first cancellation of an event in the league’s history.

Follow Brandon Boles on Twitter: @BrandonBoles

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(Photo Credit: Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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