For the longest time mixed martial arts (MMA) fans have predicted that Jon Jones would one day fight at heavyweight. During his heyday as light heavyweight champion, fans talked of a superfight between Jones and then-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez…
For the longest time mixed martial arts (MMA) fans have predicted that Jon Jones would one day fight at heavyweight. During his heyday as light heavyweight champion, fans talked of a superfight between Jones and then-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately, neither Jones or Velasquez are champions in the UFC anymore (as of this writing). Currently, […]
Alexander Gustafsson could have pushed his rematch with Jon Jones back to March, but chose not to. Gustafsson will meet Jones a second time as planned this Saturday night. The location, however, has changed. In case your mind wandered off for the holid…
Alexander Gustafsson could have pushed his rematch with Jon Jones back to March, but chose not to. Gustafsson will meet Jones a second time as planned this Saturday night. The location, however, has changed. In case your mind wandered off for the holidays, here’s what went down. Jones popped for a trace amount of turinabol, […]
Yesterday, we shared an editorial from last year that documented Jon Jones’ chaotic drug-testing history. Heading into UFC 232, that history had more questions and fewer answers than ever before. But there was one thing Jones’ upcoming opponent at the…
Yesterday, we shared an editorial from last year that documented Jon Jones’ chaotic drug-testing history. Heading into UFC 232, that history had more questions and fewer answers than ever before. But there was one thing Jones’ upcoming opponent at the time, Alexander Gustafsson, felt he knew for sure: Jones has always been a cheater.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 26, 2018, 9:00 AM]
Headline: Gustafsson: “Of Course” Jon Jones Has Always Cheated
Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson will be squaring off in the main event of UFC 232 this Saturday night from The Forum in Los Angeles, California, and there has been a lot of tension between Jones and Gustafsson during the lead-in to their contest.
After Jon Jones’ latest run-in with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) with a test that rendered an “atypical” result, Gustafsson joined in on the chorus of criticisms that has rained down on Jones. In spite of slamming Jones publicly, though, Gustafsson claims that trash talking is not in his nature:
“I’m not one to trash talk my opponents,” Gustafsson told the LA Times. “If the talk is on, then let’s go, I’ll say the truth — nothing more or less. But it doesn’t affect me in my competition.”
It is with this pledge of truth that Gustafsson answered the question of whether he believes Jon Jones has always cheated, even before USADA partnered with the UFC in 2015,
“Yeah, of course I do,” Gustafsson said frankly. “I don’t care, though. It is what it is. That’s in the past and it doesn’t change anything. We have a new fight coming up and it’s all about that fight. Nothing else. I’m going to prepare for the best Jon out there — dirty or not, I don’t care. I’ll be sure I win this fight.”
At the end of the day, Gustafsson does not care what Jones has done or even what he may be doing. All he cares about is what he can control and the results dictated by his own performance:
“I don’t put an effort into what Jones is doing or not doing. I’m not sitting at home and thinking if he’s doing [performance-enhancing drugs] or not, and it’s not my job to prevent it. I’m just looking at the fight,” said Gustafsson.
“My job is to go out there and do my talking in the cage, and to beat the crap out of him.”
Do you agree with Alexander Gustafsson? Do you believe Jon Jones has been cheating throughout his career?
This weekend (Sat. December 29, 2018) one of the biggest rematches in mixed martial arts (MMA) history will go down. Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson will go head-to-head in the main event of UFC 232. The pay-per-view (PPV) will go down from The Forum in Inglewood, California. The winner of the contest will be crowned […]
This weekend (Sat. December 29, 2018) one of the biggest rematches in mixed martial arts (MMA) history will go down.
Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson will go head-to-head in the main event of UFC 232. The pay-per-view (PPV) will go down from The Forum in Inglewood, California. The winner of the contest will be crowned the new light heavyweight champion, stripping Daniel Cormier of his title. Back in 2013, Jones and Gustafsson headlined UFC 165 in one of the best title fights in UFC history.
Jones won the bout via unanimous decision, but many believe Gustafsson should’ve been given the nod. Now, six years later, Gustafsson will get the opportunity to prove he has what it takes to beat “Bones.” Recently, top 205-pound contender Anthony Smith joined “The MMA Hour” to offer his prediction for the fight. “Lionheart” explained why he believes Jones will prevail again (via MMA Fighting):
“I do,” Smith said. “I think it’s going to be a very similar fight, but I think Jon Jones is one of those guys that — I think that one of his biggest advantages is that his fight IQ is super high, so I think that if he has 25 minutes to figure you out, another 25 minutes isn’t going to be beneficial to you.
“I think that if Jon Jones is being truthful when he said he didn’t train that hard for the first fight [at UFC 165], I would imagine him coming off this long layoff, with everything that’s happened to him — that the best Jon Jones is going to show up, and I think that that’s what he’s going to need to beat Gustafsson.”
Smith is currently on a roll at 205 pounds. He is on a three-fight win streak over fighters like Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua, and Volkan Oezdemir. Smith has finished each of those fights with a pair of knockouts and a submission. He is currently one of the frontrunners to challenge for the light heavyweight title next.
Jon Jones is known for many things: Being the winningest light heavyweight in UFC history, constantly being in compromising and controversial situations, and also responding to his peers who criticize him, especially if he has a past with the individua…
Jon Jones is known for many things: Being the winningest light heavyweight in UFC history, constantly being in compromising and controversial situations, and also responding to his peers who criticize him, especially if he has a past with the individual. Such is the case with one Alexander Gustafsson, who joined Daniel Cormier in chiming in […]