UFC's Rashad Evans is already considering Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson as the first opponent he will face when he comes back to the Octagon.
The former light heavyweight champion currently holds a 19-3-1 record in MMA and plans on making his return to the UFC sometime in early 2015, according to MMAjunkie. Evans won 14 out of his 18 fights in the UFC, having three loses and one draw.
Gustafsson was supposed to take on Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 178, but he was replaced by Daniel Cormier after suffering a knee injury during training. Jones would also suffer a knee injury soon after the change-up, which resulted in his fight with Cormier being moved to UFC 182 in January.
"The Mauler" was also scheduled to fight Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, but that bout was scraped when the UFC indefinitely suspended Johnson due to a domestic violence issue, Yahoo! Sports reported.
The fight between Evans and Gustafsson would mark the first time that Evans has competed in the Octagon since his victory over Chael Sonnen in November, 2013. He has spent his time since then as a television analyst.
"I've been very impressed with how his development has gone," Evans said, referring Gustafsson's improvement.
Gustafsson currently holds a 16-2 record in MMA, with eight wins and two loses in the UFC, MMAjunkie reported.
35-year-old Evans is looking to prove he is still a contender in the 205-pound division, and the possibility for a title shot is present with a victory over "The Mauler."
"When I left, I was at the top and Alexander Gustafsson has been getting better with every single fight," Evans said. "Dana (White), set it up."
