Jon Jones is still the UFC Light Heavyweight champion of the world after surviving a brutal toe-to-toe warfare with Swedish challenger Alexander Gustafsson in what MMA fans consider the fight of the year at UFC 165 at Air Canada Center in Toronto Canada.
Jones successfully defended his Light Heavyweight belt for the sixth consecutive time, but Gusfafsson made sure the American had to earn it out of his sweat and blood in five action-packed rounds.
Ringside judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46, but the fight could have easily gone the other way given the competitiveness of the duel between two of the best light middleweight fighters in the world.
Jones might have gotten another victory inside the Octagon, but he admitted his showdown with Gustafsson is by far the toughest fight in his MMA career.
"I've been asking for a tough fight like this and I got it," Jones said in the post-fight interview with MMA color commentator Joe Rogan. "I have a lot of work to do in the gym. I felt really sloppy tonight. He was just a tough fighter. That was by far my toughest fight."
The victory catapulted Jones' UFC legacy to another heights, putting him alongside great champions such as George St. Pierre and Anderson Silva by winning his first 10 fights inside the UFC octagon.
Meanwhile, UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao successfully defended his title after scoring a TKO win over challenger Eddie Wineland in 0:26 mark of the second period. Barao caught Wineland with a beautiful spinning kick and followed it up with punches to arrange a unification bout with champion Dominick Cruz probably next year.
UFC 165 Fight Card & Results
Light Heavyweight: Jon Jones (c) def.Alexander Gustafsson via Decision (unanimous) (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Bantamweight:Renan Barão (ic) def. Eddie Wineland TKO (spinning back kick and punches) 0:26 of the second round
Heavyweight: Brendan Schaub def. Matt Mitrione - Technical Submission (d'arce choke) 4:06 of the first round
Middleweight: Francis Carmont def. Costa Philippou - Decision(unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov def. - Pat Healy Decision(unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC 165 Video Highlights: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson