UFC News: Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson Trade Shots on Twitter

Looks like surging UFC light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson is getting anxious for a shot at champion Jon Jones. 

"The Mauler," currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC's official light heavyweight rankings, called out "Bones" early this morning on Twitter and Greg Jackson's MMA standout didn't take long to respond.

"

Fighting me is not good for your image@alexthemauler FYI

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) May 24, 2013"

The lanky Swedish striker fired back with a harsh criticism of Jones' recent opponents: 

"

"

@jonnybones if you think of what is good for your image, maybe you should continue to fight this 185ers??

— Alexander Gustafsson (@AlexTheMauler) May 24, 2013"

"

Jones recently defeated perennial middleweight contenders Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen at UFC 152 and UFC 159, respectively. 

In the 25-year-old's defense, he had taken out four former champions in a row prior to those matchups: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans. 

Additionally, only Evans managed to go the distance with his former teammate. 

Of course, Gustafsson has been on a roll of his own, boasting a six-fight win streak and a 15-1 overall record. 

After four straight finishes, Gustafsson scored the biggest victories of his career, earning back-to-back convincing decisions over Thiago Silva and Shogun. 

Addressing the media at the UFC 160 pre-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White indicated that Jones' recent toe dislocation could keep him out of actions from anywhere between six weeks to six months. 

Should Jones be on the shelf for an extended period of time, Gustafsson (via MMA Fighting) and fellow contender Lyoto Machida (via MMA Junkie) are willing to face off in a title eliminator bout.

Since getting choked unconscious by Jones at UFC 140 in December 2011, "The Dragon" has defeated Ryan Bader and Dan Henderson. 

Nevertheless, fan interest in Jones vs. Machida II remains lackluster at best. 

Given the current landscape of the UFC's 205-pound division, is Jones vs. Gustafsson the next title fight to make?

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.