Jon Jones has never looked human.
The UFC light heavyweight champion has dominated in every single bout, manhandling foes in unprecedented fashion. Strikers, grapplers, wrestlers—none have come close to dethroning the champ.
Alexander Gustaffson was supposed to be just another statistic. A mark on the ledger, a name on the resume. Instead, he showed that Jones is far from perfect. The Swedish striker pushed Jones to his limit for the first time in the champion’s UFC career.
It was the performance of Gustafsson’s life. He defended the takedown, beat Jones to the punch and gave him everything he had for 25-minutes.
And even that was not enough. Jones, utilizing a spinning elbow and kicks from all angles, was able to prevail on the judges’ scorecards.
But it wasn’t easy. And that, as faint as it seems on the surface, is heavy praise for Gustafsson. He fought the best in the world to a standstill. It’s a bout we’ll remember for a long time.
Jones, of course, wasn’t the night’s only winner. In the following slides, I run down the winners, and losers, from a fight card that will best be remembered for its final two bouts.
Have some winners and losers of your own? Let me hear them in the comments.