Jon "Bones" Jones is set to take on Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in April, but Jones' recent comments indicate he might be looking beyond him for future bouts. Jones begs to differ, however, claiming he is just human and aware of plans down the road.
"Glover is someone I'm going to have to respect tremendously," Jones said. "He has knockout power in both his right hand and left hand. It's just going to be a really entertaining fight to watch." He then informed future opponents that following his battle with Alexander Gustafsson he will be tougher to beat than ever.
"My last fight I had a really tough fight. I just won by decision. I just squeaked out a victory. I've been humbled," Jones said. "It's an empowering thing. It's a scary thing for [my opponents]. Now I'm taking my job more seriously than ever." He also doesn't think that talking about potential fights in the future means he's not focused on the present.
"It's kind of a no-brainer. Anybody who pays attention to the sport knows who's coming, you know who's deserving. You've got to give Alexander Gustafsson the No. 1 contender spot behind Glover Teixeira," Jones said.
"Then with the way Daniel Cormier has been performing, he's top three at the heavyweight division. Lets see how he competes at the light heavyweight division but with the tear he's been on, if he can continue that, it's unquestioned that he deserves a shot, as well."
Both of those fights would be of great interest to UFC fans around the world; Gustafsson came as close as any fighter ever has to taking down the previously invincible Jones, while Cormier is a naturally larger beast with an ax to grind against "Bones."
"I really don't like [Cormier] too much, but right now he's coming across as being good for the sport," Jones admitted. "He's a really articulate guy. He's doing a lot of broadcasting and commentary. He's a winner and an Olympian. So even though I don't like him, I do respect what he's doing for our sport."
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