Report: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson II In The Works For UFC 218
The light heavyweight rematch that MMA has been waiting for is reportedly being targeted for a pay-per-view card later this year.
According to sources obtained by Swedish MMA site MMAnytt.se, champion Jon Jones will face No. 2 Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of December 2’s UFC 218 from Detroit, Michigan.
The bout, if booked, would be a rematch of their scintillating razor-thin first match at September 2013’s UFC 165, one of two UFC bouts where one could say that “Bones” was legitimately tested (the other being his near-submission loss to Vitor Belfort which he ultimately won).
Jones of course just recently won back his long-held title from longtime rival Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, ending their three-year-long rivalry with a swift head kick and brutal follow-up assault in the third round. Jones beat Cormier by unanimous decision in their first fight at UFC 182, but then became embroiled in a controversial and disturbing set of legal and drug-centered trouble that saw him stripped of the belt and suspended by USADA.
Gustafsson, on the other hand, is only 3-3 in his last six bouts but has won his last two, including a jaw-dropping fifth-round stoppage of fellow former title contender Glover Teixeira on May 28. Two of those losses were split decisions to Jones and Cormier, and many MMA fans and media members still believe “The Mauler” won his first controversial fight against “Bones” four years ago.
UFC 218 will go down on December 2, 2017 from Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
