No surprises here.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will defend his 205-pound title against Alexander Gustafsson at the upcoming UFC 165 pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for Sept. 21, 2013 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
And he'll do it as the -800 favorite, according to Best Fight Odds.
Gustafsson, meanwhile, is a 5-to-1 underdog (+500), which is a bit surprising, considering Chael Sonnen, who was obliterated by "Bones" at UFC 159 back in April, started out at 4-to-1, despite moving up from middleweight. On the other hand, it's a bit better than Vitor Belfort's +625 last September.
It doesn't seem like the bookies are bothered by Jones' toe injury, which has not completely healed, but I'd bet many fans (and pundits) would argue that even with one foot missing, the champ likely retains over most of the top 205-pound contenders.
I'm sure Gustafsson would love to prove them wrong.
"The Mauler" may not have the body of work that his opponent does, but he's certainly proved himself capable in recent fights, graduating to the next level with a hard-fought win over Mauricio Rua last December on FOX, his sixth win in a row.
But will it be enough?
"Bones" has blown away the competition and has yet to be in any kind of real danger, save for Belfort's surprise armbar at UFC 152 last year in "Hogtown." While the champ had a quick scare, he ultimately powered through it and finished the fight in the fourth round.
Will history repeat itself on Sept. 21?