UFC: Jon Jones' Toughest Rival Eyes Return, Says He's 'Always Prepared'

Jon Jones’ former rival Alexander Gustafsson is planning for a UFC return and said he has always been prepared to fight.

While many are convinced that current UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is Jones’ toughest rival, three-time UFC title challenger Gustafsson was arguably the fighter who gave “Bones” his toughest fight as a champion. In fact, Jones himself admitted after their epic fight that “Gus” handed him the kind of fight he has been longing for his entire career saying “ I've been asking for a dogfight for a long time. And I finally got that dogfight."

And now, Gustafsson certainly thinks he still got something left in the tank. But before stepping back inside the octagon, the Swedish fighter said he has to regain his competitive mentality first.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Gustafsson opened up about how he feels about his body. According to him, he still has “a couple more years” in him and that he “just have to do it correctly this time.” Besides the “mental thing,” Gustafsson is confident he still got what it takes to compete at the highest level.

“I want to get tested again and get that feeling of being in deep waters. It motivates me a lot, too. It’s definitely a mental thing for me. I’m always prepared – my conditioning is always there and my strength, but it’s a mental thing,” Gustafsson said.

Gustafsson is now inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame. When asked about his thoughts, Gustafsson said he was honored to be inducted but as expected, the 33-year-old reflected on the five-round war against Jones. Gustafsson admitted that he was disappointed about not getting the nod despite brutalizing the champ.

“I remember my disappointment when my hand wasn’t raised. At the same time, I felt a lot of pride in my performance,” Gustafsson said about his lost to Jones.

Looking back, Jones vs. Gustafsson 1 earned a lot of criticisms as some believe that the challenger really beat Jones. Both fighters were taken to the hospital immediately after the fight. Jones' had a swollen face, a huge cut, busted nose and fattened lips. Ultimately, Jones looked much worse compared to Gustafsson. This has led to fans calling for a rematch an in 2018, Jones vs. Gustafsson 2 was finally booked. In the rematch, Jones finally won decisively after winning via TKO.

Gustafsson announced his retirement in June 2019 after suffering a submission loss to Anthony Smith in the UFC on ESPN+ 11 main event. Many were shocked about his sudden retirement but the doors of UFC remained open for his return.