Jon Jones rematch with Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson has been unofficially set for August 30th at UFC 177 and news has it that it may take place in either Las Vegas or Sweden.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com initially reported the news during Saturday night's UFC 173 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He broke the news through his Twitter account, adding that only "The Mauler" has accepted the offer, so far.
Reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones first fought Alexander Gustafsson in September 2013 at UFC 165. Prior to the fight, fans and scribes alike had "Bones" as the heavy favorite, given "The Mauler's" lack of marketability in the United States.
The fight however, did not match the audience's general expectation, as Alexander Gustafsson was able to bring down Jon Jones.
While the fight went towards "Bones'" way via unanimous decision, "The Mauler" kept the fight close, and was even able to inflict enough damage to send "Bones" to the hospital after the fight.
Since then, fight fans have clamored for a Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson rematch, but the champion chose Glover Texeira as his opponent instead. "Bones" defeated Texeira at UFC 172 in April, via unanimous decision.
Now that the dust has cleared, Dana White and Zuffa have made arrangements for the Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson rematch, however, nothing has been made final yet.
"We're shooting for Aug. 30," White told the media at a UFC 173 post-fight interview. "That's the date we want for Jones-Gustafsson. We just signed Gustafsson to a new deal, and Jones will get a new deal too. We're doing a new deal with him."
In April, Dana White also mentioned that Jon Jones' rematch with Alexander Gustafsson could possibly take place in "The Mauler's" home country of Sweden, but most recent reports say that the fight venue would be taken back to Las Vegas.
White, however, has not given any final statement about the matter.
"Anything is still possible," White answered. "We don't have a deal done yet. We'll see what happens."
