Twenty-four hours ago, my colleague Jonathan Snowden and I put together the latest edition of our new series, The Question.
In it, we tried to answer two questions:
1: Did the UFC miss the boat by not forcing an immediate rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson after their classic bout in September 2013?
2: Did Anthony Johnson have a chance to delay that rematch even further by beating Gustafsson in the UFC on Fox 14 main event?
As it turns out, the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes.”
Johnson, who has morphed from a man with weight issues at 170 pounds into the most terrifying fighter in the UFC light heavyweight division, knocked out Gustafsson in just over two minutes. Gustafsson felt Johnson’s power, and it overwhelmed him in the same way it has overwhelmed Johnson’s previous eight opponents, because Johnson is a force of nature.
I’m not going to compare him to the Mike Tyson of the 1980s, but I wouldn’t make fun of you if you felt the same twinge of fear Tyson inspired in us normal folks back in his heyday. Johnson will be a significant underdog to Jones when they eventually meet, but it is an intriguing matchup. Johnson’s power makes him an interesting opponent for anybody in the UFC.
After the fight, I sent UFC president Dana White a text message. “That guy is terrifying.”
“Real deal,” White responded in his typical short fight-night fashion. And indeed: Johnson is the real deal.
“I can’t believe I beat the guy who, in my opinion, beat Jon Jones,” Johnson said at the post-fight news conference aired on Fight Pass. “I was in a state of shock.”
But for Gustafsson, the loss was heartbreaking.
The fight ended with the lanky Swede on the canvas, unable to defend himself against Johnson’s assault. After a commercial break, we caught a glimpse of Gustafsson holding his shirt over his face, attempting to hide the tears he couldn’t stop from flowing. His dream of a rematch with Jones—one he should have received well over a year ago—has vanished, at least for the time being.
He was supposed to get an immediate rematch, but Jones allegedly wasn’t interested. So he went out and beat Jimi Manuwa to earn his way back into the title picture, only to suffer an injury and see Daniel Cormier take his place. And then—instead of waiting for Jones and the title shot already promised him—Gustafsson agreed to headline a huge Fox card in Sweden, because he is a fighter and that is what fighters do: They fight.
And because of all of that, and because he did not want to sit on the sidelines and watch the division pass him by, Gustafsson finds himself shoved out of the title picture in violent fashion.
It’s a shame. Gustafsson gave Jones all he could handle in their first meeting, and rare is the MMA fan who wouldn’t want to see them do it again. Depending on your viewpoint, Jones is either approaching “best fighter of all time” status, or he is already there.
But for many, the questions created by Gustafsson on that night in 2013 demand emphatic answers from Jones. If Jones faces Gustafsson again and handles him in the way he’s handled all of his other opponents, there are no more questions. There will be no more speculation about whether Jones took Gustafsson seriously; there will only be the greatest fighter of all time, standing tall and proud and unquestioned.
After Saturday, that moment is delayed, though not deferred forever. Gustafsson is just 28 years old and is one of the most talented fighters in the division. It would make sense to see him step in the cage with Daniel Cormier for his next fight; Cormier did lose to Jones recently, after all. The time frame works. And the winner of Gustafsson vs. Cormier would either be in line for a title shot or one win away. It just makes sense.
It is hard not to root for Gustafsson. He is pleasant and respectful. He is a big draw for the UFC in Sweden and will remain so despite Saturday’s loss. And he is also an incredible fighter who is still growing into his skills and still getting better at his craft.
But there will come a time—and I think it is much closer than many will expect—when Jones, feeling he has done all he can in mixed martial arts, will walk away from the sport. I believe he will do so at a young age, retiring to enjoy his millions and perhaps pursue an acting career.
Let us hope, as people who enjoy our fighting, that Gustafsson works his way back to contendership before that happens. Because it would be a shame if Gustafsson—through a combination of circumstance, bad luck and running into the Johnson freight train—never gets the second title shot he has twice earned.
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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