Following last weekends UFC Fight Night 30, UFC president Dana White announced that former Light Heavyweight contender and Jon Jones biggest challenge to date would face off against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at the next UK event on March 8. While not the most competitive fight on paper, many agreed that it was the best way to set up a potential rematch between Gus and Jones for 2014.
However, less than a week later news broke that “Lil Nog” won’t be able to compete due to injury. MMA Fighting has the story:
“Minotouro” has withdrawn from the fight due to a lingering back injury, sources close to the situation confirmed with MMAFighting.com before White also confirmed the news.
White added that there are no plans for Gustafsson’s next fight yet. Gustafsson’s team also said they heard the news but didn’t know who the Swedish fighter will draw next.
With Nog out, there aren’t a lot of viable options for for Gus in another contenders’ bout. Names like Phil Davis and Daniel Cormier have been discussed by pundits, but it’s hard to say who the UFC will choose to face “The Mauler” next.