Being a UFC champion is no easy task. You fight the best of the best on a regular basis and each and every fight is incredibly tough. Jon Jones was tasked with his toughest opponent yet, the 6’5’’ Swede Alexander Gustafsson.
Putting on a tough performance that displayed his heart, Jon “Bones” Jones defended his UFC light-heavyweight title against scrappy challenger Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson at UFC 165 in Toronto. The main event fight between the two is being called one of the greatest in UFC history. It featured back-to-back action through all five rounds. Both the champion and challenger gave it their all and threw everything in their arsenals in an attempt to finish the fight.
Despite being an 8-1 underdog, the persistent Gustafsson gave Jones all he could handle and pushed the champion to the limit like no fighter had been able to do before. The big Swede was timely, accurate and effective as he rocked Jones with punches and kicks. Not only that, but he was able to stuff numerous takedown attempts by the champ while scoring one himself. That is a feat that no one had been able to do to Jones in the Octagon yet. Jones was no slouch either as he hit his taller opponent with hard combos, knees, kicks and elbows.
The rounds were very closely contested as the two fought, with critics and fans alike unsure of who would take home the final decision. It turned out to be Jones who would take home his tenth straight victory in the Octagon. The win improved his record to an incredible 19-1 overall.
Jones also made history with the win. This title defense was his sixth at light-heavyweight. The previous record was five set by former champion Tito Ortiz. With that record in hand Jones is considered arguably the best light-heavyweight to ever fight in the UFC as well as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport today.
In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Jones perfectly summed up the fight between the two men. He said “Man, I tell you what, I’ve been asking for a dogfight for a long time and I finally got that dogfight.” He went on to say, “That was by far my toughest fight. I got to exercise my warrior spirit tonight.”
What could be next for the dominant champion? The most likely choices are either a re-match between the two men when both are healthy or Jones could be in for a fight against the Brazilian monster Glover Teixeria. The Brazilian is currently on a 20 fight win streak and would be another tough test for Jones.
Another possibility would be for Jones to move up to heavyweight. The argument is that he has essentially leaned out his division and moving up in weight would be the only place he could get a fair challenge. Whatever the champion decides to do, the eyes of MMA fans the world over will be watching.
