Over the weekend, it was announced that Alexander Gustafsson has pulled out of fighting at UFC 227 on August 4. "Alex Gustafsson is out of UFC 227 with a minor injury," a statement from his management read."The injury occurred last week. Since that time, we have been working closely with the UFC doctors, our doctors in Sweden, and the experts at the UFC Performance Institute."We have been advised that Alex has a minor injury, and he will not be permitted to compete at UFC 227."

FIGHTING ANYONE, ANYTIME

Interestingly, the statement did not end there - and it seems that despite pulling out of his latest bout at short notice, Gustafsson will be back soon, seeking a bigger fight. 

"Had Alex been fit to fight, we were prepared to face [Khalil] Rountree or anyone else the UFC had asked us, including [Daniel] Cormier at heavyweight," the message continued.

"Alex will be fighting again very soon. He will give his side of the story shortly. We don’t care who the opponent is.

"But whomever we face it should be for the meaningful result of the LHW UFC Title."

THE RESPONSE

Once again, it seems that Gustafsson has let down MMA fans - and this time, many believe that he's running from a fight against Anthony Smith, who would have been a very exciting opponent.

Despite not stepping in the cage for over a year, the Swede still talks about deserving a title shot - even in that statement - it appears he's open to a rematch with Cormier. 

Well, unfortunately for him, it seems that DC is very much against that idea. 

NO MORE TITLE SHOTS FOR 'ENTITLED' ALEX

The two-weight UFC champion took to Twitter to share a statement of his own following the news that Gustafsson had pulled out of August's PPV - and he didn't hold back.

Cormier explained that he respects The Mauler, but also suggests that his behaviour has changed in a scathing assessment that ensures their paths will never cross again. 

In DC's eyes, Gustafsson is "entitled" and "delusional" - and he believes, like many others, that the Swede is running from his latest opponent.

Check out his full statement below. 

Brutal. It looks like Gustafsson's latest actions may have cost him any shot he had at Cormier's title - whether it be in the light-heavyweight or the heavyweight division.