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Jon Jones’ Harsh Review Of Alexander Gustafsson At Heavyweight

Jon Jones’ Harsh Review Of Alexander Gustafsson At Heavyweight

One of Jon Jones’ biggest career rivals, Alexander Gustafsson, moved up one division to take on former champion Fabricio Werdum on July 25 at a UFC Fight Night.

It did not go well.

Werdum caught Gustafsson’s arm in a ground scramble and submitted him 2:30 into the first round.

Jones was not impressed with the effort.

“I don’t think [Gustafsson] did it the right way,” Jones told Marc Raimondi of ESPN.

“Just because you gain some extra pounds doesn’t mean you’re ready to compete against these boys that were born that way. You’ve got to really take your time, find your body, find your feet, your new speed, your new rhythm. And then go up there and play the game.”

Jones, meanwhile, has his sights on doing what his rival did – but better. He too is moving up to heavyweight, but his approach is far more methodical.

“It’s a different feel for me,” Jones said. “I would never really train in between fights. I would allow myself to get fat. To train now with no fight scheduled, it’s different. It shows maturity and it shows how much I really want to do this.

“I’m trying to change my whole makeup. There are some guys that are way bigger than me up there. I’m just constantly pushing … I have to commit my whole life to this project. I’m committed.”

How will Jones ultimately fare at heavyweight? Time will tell.

Jennifer Withers Hoey

Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.

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