When they first clashed at UFC 165 back in 2013, it was an epic fight. And admittedly, challenger Alexander Gustafsson had given then-champ Jon Jones his toughest fight ever.
But the long-awaited rematch is finally happening at UFC 232 on December 29, and since five years – and a lot of “other” things – have transpired in that time, you have to ask: Is the rematch even worth it?
In case your memory is fuzzy, here’s their first fight:
Okay, now that we’re all on the same page, consider the facts.
So here we have one of the UFC’s few pay-per-view stars in Jones, fighting the guy who gave him his toughest fight years ago. Now, I’m not saying we’re going to see Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz III, but how good could this fight be?
And looking it at another angle… What if Jones totally smashes Gustafsson. This week one of Jones’ coaches went on about how his fighter is still sharp because of all the layoffs. As per MMAFighting:
“He’s not getting his brains battered in [during his time off],” Gibson explained Monday on The MMA Hour. “He’s not getting concussions, he’s taking care of his body and his mind, and this is such a — at this top one percent, these guys are tough. That’s not an aspect that comes with sparring or anything like that. The time off where we’re not having impact, where his body’s not getting beaten up and broken down, where we’re just continuing to evolve the skill and the technique and the strategy and develop Jon that much more as a martial artist is key. And you said he’s 31, he has a long fight career ahead of him still, and he really feels like this time off has prolonged his career that much more.
It’s likely that’s all crap, but if it isn’t, and Jones wrecks the Swede badly, how many are going to assume that the win is because Jones is a juicer?
Without question, Jones and Gustafsson are elite fighters. And without question, Jones is a screw-up of the highest order. Put the two together for a rematch and what do you have? Either a great fight, or a great fighter with a tainted win, or both.
Again, will it be worth it?
Legendary lead guitarist and Richie Sambora left Bon Jovi in 2013. But Sambora, who was…
Jelly Roll’s daughter Bailee is growing up fast and will turn 16 later this month. This…
The Hollywood star Chris Pratt has broken his silence after the death of his longtime…
You may be surprised to learn that Paul McCartney is finally a billionaire. That may…
It was previously reported that the Christian singer Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin…
It was previously reported the comedian Jay Leno's beloved wife Mavis, who he's been married…