Did Alexander Gustafsson Break Jon Jones, Or Will ‘Bones’ Come Back Stronger?
UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones will look to make the seventh consecutive defense of his long-held title at UFC 172. His opponent is none other than hard-hitting Brazilian phenom Glover Teixeira, and the April 26, Baltimore event is finally on the horizon. As is the norm with Jones’ title fights, a lot of pre-fight chatter is focusing on whether his opponent has key to the ‘Bones’ puzzle.
Jones has proved too much for every fighter he has ever faced, with the exception of Alexander ‘The Mauler’ Gustafsson. Obviously ‘Bones’ was victorious on the night at 165, but it was by no means a dominant performance. Gus gave Jones more to think about than any other fighter before him, and was unfortunate to walk away empty handed.
One thing ‘The Mauler’ would have taken from the fight against ‘Bones’ is a wealth of experience, and probably a lot of confidence too. Jones had an invincible aura heading in to UFC 165, which was shattered by Gustafsson, although that may not be a bad thing for the 205-pound kingpin. In fact, it may be just what Jones needed in the lead up to UFC 172.
Had Jones walked through Gustafsson when they met for their FOTY bout, he may well have trained for Glover Teixeira with an unbeatable mentality. Against a heavy-hitting, come-from-behind battler like GT; that would be a big mistake. As it stands, ‘Bones’ will likely have a much more level head in training for his opponent in Baltimore. In a strange way, Gustafsson may have paved the way for Jones beating Teixeira.
Even more ironic still, a win against Teixeira would align the stars for a rematch between Gustafsson and Jones, a bout that fans have been clamouring for since the two first met last in September 2013. Gus himself should have probably been granted a rematch right away, but showed big cajones by taking on, and knocking out Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 37.
That being said, Jones may well be that good, and could possibly run through Tex and Gus with ease. All the speculation of their first match will become buried if Jones finishes Gustafsson in a rematch, and ‘The Mauler’s’ title hopes would likely be dashed in the process. Something tells me that isn’t how this whole thing will play out, but questions will be answered when Jones and G-Tex go at it this coming Saturday.
The main query being how much did Alexander Gustafsson take from Jon Jones when they fought at UFC 165, and is there enough left to beat Teixeira? If so, when can we see the rematch between ‘Bones’ and Gus?
Photo: Tom Szczerbowski USA Today Sports
