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Alexander Gustafsson lobbies for Corey Anderson fight at UFC London, but Anderson has other plans

Nine days removed from his UFC light heavyweight title challenge loss, Alexander Gustafsson is ready to think about what’s next.

Although Gustafsson after UFC 232 said his future might be up a division at heavyweight, he today went after fellow UFC 232 fighter Corey Anderson on Instagram to push for a fight.

“Corey everyone else at the top is taken,” Gustafsson posted. “I am eager to get right back inside the cage and you just had a good fight with my brother, so I think it’s the perfect time for us to throw down. Let’s dance on the London card March 16th 👊 #ufclondon”

Instagram Photo

But it didn’t take Anderson long to throw a wrench into Gustafsson’s hope for a fight. He replied and said just a few days prior to the London show, he and his wife, who married this past February, are expecting the birth of their first child.

Instead, Anderson pushed Gustafsson to go after a fight with former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who is planning a move up to light heavyweight.

“Sorry @AlexTheMauler I’m already booked for the biggest fight of my life on March 12th. The birth of my 1st child!!! #letsgo #ufcOTJ #mywifestime #fightluke #UFC #familyovereverything #UFCLondon,” Anderson posted.

UFC on ESPN+ 5 takes place March 16 at The O2 in London. A headliner has not yet been announced. The card is expected to stream on ESPN+.

Gustafsson (18-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) fought Jon Jones (23-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) for the light heavyweight title in the UFC 232 main event on Dec. 29 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. He lost by third-round TKO in a rematch from 2013.

Anderson (12-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) fought a few bouts prior on the main card and beat Gustafsson teammate Ilir Latifi (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by unanimous decision.

The win for Anderson was his third straight after back-to-back knockout losses to Jimi Manuwa and Ovince Saint Preux in 2017. In 2018, he took decisions from Patrick Cummins, former title challenger Glover Teixeira and Latifi.

The 31-year-old Gustafsson had a two-fight streak halted with his loss to Jones. Before that, his lone fight in 2016 was a decision win over Jan Blachowicz, and his lone win in 2017 was a “Fight of the Night” knockout victory over Teixeira. Injuries have helped ensure Gustafsson’s rematch with Jones was just his sixth bout since the two first met more than five years prior.

So what do you think? Would a Gustafsson-Anderson fight booking be one you could get behind, even if it can’t be March 16? Weigh in in our poll below.

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