I have one thought on UFC 165. I was gonna do ten, but there is only one thing that is on my mind following the incredible main event we saw between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday night in Toronto.
I want to see Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson have a rematch. Immediately.
I will step to the front of the line and admit I had completely written off Alexander Gustafsson coming into this fight. I thought this was gonna be a rather easy win for Jon Jones. Not because Gustafsson isn’t a great fighter- he is, and I think he would be champion at 205 pounds if Jones wasn’t at the top of the division. It is because Jon Jones is a special fighter, perhaps the best we will ever see of this current generation of fighters. He is the pound-for-pound king of the sport right now, and he has yet to have a rough night inside the Octagon.
That was until Saturday night. Gustafsson brought the fight to Jones and it turned into a war. It was back-and-forth for a lot of it, and there were several close rounds. It led to a decision that could be debated with Jones winning a unanimous decision. It was close, and you can debate several rounds except for the first and the fifth, and probably the fourth. The fourth was won by Jones after he stole the round late with an elbow that hurt Gustafsson and nearly finished him. It won him the fight, and the war, and was the point in which many wanted to see the fight again because Gustafsson surviving that flurry put this fight over the top in terms of how awesome it was.
As Jones said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, it was a dog fight. Jones was dead tired and had to go to the hospital following the fight. Gustafsson was exhausted. Both showed they needed to work on their conditioning if they want to get through another 25-minute war of this caliber. But, for the 25 minutes on September 21, 2013, those two men stepped inside the Octagon and delivered a fight for the ages. It may not be as fondly remembered as the battle between Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua, but it should be, and this was a much more important fight.
You do kind of have to feel bad for Glover Teixeira and Daniel Cormier. Teixeira absolutely deserves a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship based on how impressive he has been. Cormier, should he defeat Roy Nelson next month, doesn’t like Jones and would deserve a title shot even though he hasn’t fought at 205 pounds. However, Gustafsson getting a rematch based on this fight may be what the fans want to see more. I would personally love to see it again.
If I were to make a list of my personal all-time favorite fights, this would be high on the list. It wouldn’t be number one because I love the fight between Roger Huerta and Clay Guida so, so much that it’ll take a special fight to top that one. Though, this was a special fight and maybe the best UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout of all-time. With just a few months left in 2013, it is the Fight Of The Year.
I want to see it again.
