Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (photo via UFC.com)

By Michael Hatamoto

UFC light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson will try to earn another crack at the championship when he rebounds against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on March 8 in London, England.

If Gustafsson wins – which I expect him to – he’ll earn a rematch against light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, assuming the champion beats Glover Teixeira.

Despite serving as a major underdog, Gustafsson gave Jones all he could handle through five rounds and over 25 minutes. He might have dropped the decision, but earned the respect of Jones, UFC President Dana White, and MMA fans that watched the epic war.

I believe Jones should have asked the UFC for an immediate rematch against Gustafsson, in an effort to remove all doubt and show he’s the superstar many people believe he already is.

Here is what Gustafsson told UFC Tonight:

Gustafsson: I’m super excited to fight in London and for the opportunity to finally fight Little Nog.

— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) October 26, 2013

Gustafsson is still based in Sweden and trains in his homeland full-time, occasionally visiting Team Alliance when he’s training in the US. When he’s not training more frequently in the United States, expect Gustafsson to bring in fighters from the US to help him and his Swedish Allstars Team train.

A possible fight between Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier was rumored, though Cormier said he wouldn’t take a fight overseas. Interestingly, Cormier also said a fight against Little Nog would interest him, as the Brazilian veteran is currently ranked No. 5 in the official UFC rankings.