Jon Jones hails Alexander Gustafsson as his greatest challenge in the octagon: "He really pushed me"
Jon Jones recently heaped praise on Alexander Gustafsson and named his former foe as his greatest challenge of his career. Jones noted that Gustafsson brought the best out of him in the octagon when they fought.
Jones and Gustafsson's first encounter headlined UFC 165, which took place in 2013. It was an incredible back-and-forth bout that saw 'Bones' earn a hard-fought unanimous decision win to retain his light heavyweight championship.
It was a historic win for Jones, as he surpassed Tito Ortiz and set a new record for most consecutive successful light heavyweight title defenses in UFC history. They competed in a rematch at UFC 232 in 2018, which witnessed Jones securing a third-round TKO finish.
Red Corner MMA posted a clip to their X account via Bangtao Muay Thai, which shows Jones naming Gustafsson as his best opponent. The 37-year-old said:
"My best opponent would have to have been Alexander Gustafsson. He was my best opponent... He really pushed me. He was the only guy to take me down in the UFC. And, man, he cut me open and made me dig really hard."
Check out Red Corner MMA's post featuring Jon Jones' comments below:
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustaffson was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
The UFC 165 fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson was inducted into the Fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame class of 2021.
The UFC posted a clip of a conversation with Jones prior to his induction, which shows him expressing his gratitude for receiving the honor. 'Bones' mentioned that he believed the induction added more legitimacy to his career. He said:
"It's like a badge of honor, an early one that I get to carry into my next battles and it's really cool. I feel more established in a way and I'm very grateful for the honor. I feel like there's nothing bigger in the sport really. Becoming a world champion and then a Hall of Famer, it's like, where do you go from here? So, yeah, it's kind of surreal to be honest. It still really hasn't hit me how big this is and I'm just very grateful."
Check out Jon Jones' comments below: