Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans might have to a wait a bit longer to witness a UFC 165 main event encore, the instant classic between Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.
To re-watch Jon Jones vs. Alexander full fight video highlights click here.
"Bones" and "The Mauler" went to war for 25-minutes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, last weekend (Sept. 21, 2013) with both men having their fair share of shining moments throughout the 205-pound title fight. When the dust settled inside Air Canada Centre, Jones had done enough to retain his belt, breaking Tito Ortiz's division record for most title defenses with his sixth straight.
And while Jones initially shared the sentiment of most of the MMA community that an immediate rematch against the Swede could be next, he had a change of heart once he actually sat down and re-watched the fight a few times.
Ariel Helwani has the word on "UFC Tonight:"
"Initially, before watching the fight, he thought the most fair thing to do was to grant Alexander Gustafsson an immediate rematch, it was such a close fight. But after watching it over 10 times, he now believes that he decisively won rounds two, round four and round five and maybe even round one. So, now he thinks, because it was so clear cut, that the most fair thing to do is to grant the next contender a title shot. He'd be up to anything; if UFC said fight Gustafsson, he'd do it, but he thinks the most fair thing to do right now is to move on. He also said Gustafsson was very game and put forth a great fight but he thinks personally, he was only at 70 percent and next time he vowed that he would be at 100 percent."
So, if not Gustafsson, who would "Bones" attempt to defend his title against next?
It would likely be versue red-hot Glover Teixeira, the No. 2-ranked fighter in the division who is fresh of a first-round knockout of Ryan Bader at UFC Fight Night 28 earlier this month.
However, thanks to all the abuse he suffered at the hands of Gustafsson, it will likely be a while before Jones steps foot inside the Octagon because he isn't going to entertain the idea of entering a new training camp until he feels 100 percent and "isn't going to rush it," according to the report.
Smart move. But, can the same be said for possibly passing on the momentum -- and box office receipts -- that an immediate rematch against Gustafsson would generate?