Alexander Gustafsson is ready to get the ball rolling on his rumored UFC 232 bout with Jon Jones.
The Swedish light heavyweight taunted his rival on Tuesday, posting a picture of Jones’ head on a chicken’s body on the label of a milk carton. Gustafsson then revealed that he has signed his bout agreement to face Jones.
“[Jon Jones] you are pissing me off. I signed my agreement,” Gustafsson wrote. “Where are you?? Are you chickening out?? Stop being a coward!”
Last week, it was reported that a Jones-Gustafsson rematch was being targeted for UFC 232 in Las Vegas on Dec. 29. Jones was recently given a reduced suspension for his second anti-doping violation and will be eligible to return on Oct. 28. Current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said he expects to be stripped of the title by the promotion so Gustafsson and Jones can vie for the vacant 205-pound belt.
While White didn’t make mention of a title bout, he did confirm that the UFC is hoping to have Jones make his return on Dec. 29.
“Obviously, he’s talking about coming back,” White said on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast. “And you know what he’s thinking about doing and what he wants to accomplish in his return. But first, he’s got to get in shape. The guy hasn’t fought in a while, so we are looking at, hopefully, Dec. 29.”