Perennial light heavyweight title contender, Alexander Gustafsson, has taken exception to newly-crowned heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, suggesting that he would need to do “something special” to earn a fight with him.
Cormier, who also holds UFC’s light heavyweight crown, set up a date with Brock Lesnar following his historic win over Stipe Miocic in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Although the Swede praised Cormier’s performance, he wasn’t all that fond of what “DC” said about him at the post-fight press conference.
“It doesn’t sound right when he says things like that,” Gustafsson told Luke Thomas on the latest episode of The MMA Hour.
“I respect that [Cormier vs. Lesnar] is a big fight and a money fight, but the way that he says I have to do something spectacular…I think it’s a bad thing for him to say because I’m ranked No. 1 and I’ve fought everyone in the division.
“It’s not up to him to decide something like that. I don’t know what he means by that. I’ve been fighting everybody and waiting for an opportunity like everyone else to fight for the belt.”
“The Mauler” implored “DC” to decide if he wants to fight in the lighter weight class again and suggested making his upcoming showdown with Volkan Oezdemir an interim light heavyweight bout.
“He’s up there now; he has the heavyweight belt and he has the light heavyweight belt. He’s keeping the light heavyweight belt for himself, he doesn’t want to let it go. I don’t know what’s going on; he has to make up his mind and decide if he wants to come back down. I’m just going to beat Volkan and then I’m ready for him. Maybe he should just let that belt go and give it to us so we have something to fight for.”
“They should do this fight for an interim title,” he continued. “Whenever DC makes up his mind…if he wants to come down we can fight for the real title. They should make this fight for the interim title, me and Volkan — that’s the No. 1 guy and the No 2 guy.”
Should he take a win over Oezdemir, Gustafsson plans to do everything in his power to get a shot at the light heavyweight strap.
“It’s all up to him. He can’t sit on his throne and decide who he fights or who he’s not going to fight, if he does that he should just let it go because I want that belt, that’s all I’m focused on after the Volkan fight. He can either fight me or let the belt go, that’s the only thing I’ll say.”
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