Before I proceed in boring you with this rant, I feel compelled to
mention that I have not felt the urge to rant on this blog for a very very
(intended repetition to emphasize extent of blog desertion) long time. With my
most recent post being a 2012 UFC 153 reaction, let my sudden return to
blogging serve as a testament to the greatness of tonight's UFC 165 main event.
While tonight's card was otherwise mediocre Jones vs. Gustafsson I
(expressive of my desire for a speedy rematch) is a fight that will long go
unforgotten.
I think it's important to acknowledge the role of physical attributes in
this fight. Jon Jones who generally has a notable reach and size advantage did
not possess these advantages against Gustafsson. This made Gustafsson the
perfect candidate to give Jones the most challenging test of his career, which
is exactly what he did.
Without diving too deep into the technical aspects of the fight, as it
was a five rounder, takedown defense was without a doubt a defining aspect of tonight's championship fight. Well expressed by UFC President Dana White's tweet
during the bout "WOW!!!!! I didn't think Jones wouldn't be able to
take @AlexTheMauler down" Gustafsson successfully stuffed
an impressive number of Jones' takedown attempts throughout the five rounder.
Further, Gustafsson was able to land notable strikes leaving Bones the most
damaged we've seen him thus far in his UFC career.
Admittedly, I feel Gustafsson did enough to win the fight (not sure which
fight the judge who had 49-46 was watching). The judges however ruled in Jones'
favour allowing him to retain the title. The outcome of this bout however is
not what I want to focus on. Prior to this bout I, like many, viewed the UFC
light heavyweight division as merely Jon Jones' home where he would continue to
dominate in a consistently one-sided fashion.
Wow did things change tonight.
Whether it was my subconscious underestimation of The Mauler or my
overestimation of Bones' greatness I was not expecting Gustafsson to present as
difficult of a challenge as he did. Heading into this bout I felt Jones
possessed a skill-set and related invincibility which made the UFC's light
heavyweight division hardly exciting and minimally competitive. After watching
him convincingly dominate top-ranked personal favourites, including the likes
of Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua I couldn't help but wish Jones would move up to
heavyweight where his physical attributes wouldn't provide him with such
apparent advantages. Tonight this all changed.
Much like Anderson Silva's loss I feel like this fight served as a
reminder to fight fans that even the most dominant of fighters can be
excitingly challenged. Gustafsson has single-handedly altered my
perception of the light heavyweight division. Jones no longer reigns as a
boringly dominant champion, but one who has reason to evolve, one who can be tested. Regardless of who was awarded the win tonight, I feel Gustafsson provided a statement that was long overdue for the light heavyweight division.
Although I consider myself a huge fan of Glover Teixeira, due to the
closeness of this fight, I do believe Gustafsson has earned the right to an
immediate rematch.
Now that you've survived my incoherent rant I'd
love nothing more than to read some of your thoughts!
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