When Joe Rogan yelled at the end of round five that this may have been the greatest title fight in light heavyweight history, it sounded hyperbolic but may not be off by much.
After five incredible rounds, the war of attrition went to the judge's scorecards. It was clear that each fighter had at least one round, perhaps two for defending champion Jon Jones, but the others were up for grabs based on the judges' interpretation.
The judges scored the fight 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46, all in favor of Jones, who retains his UFC light heavyweight title for a record sixth time. He also becomes just the fourth fighter in UFC history to rail off a 10-fight win streak.
Anybody watching really has to take their hat off to the challenger, Alexander Gustafsson. Gustafsson clearly surprised Jones with his boxing and his takedown defense, staying on his feet until the fifth round and pushing Jones to the limit. The big Swede not only cut Jones open but also became the first fighter to ever take Jones down.
The 26-year old falls to 15-2 but clearly establishes himself as a new force in the division.
"I've been asking for a dog fight for a long time, and I got the dog fight I was asking for," said Jones after the fight, before limping back to his locker room.
Jones is now 19-1, with the only blemish on his record remaining a disqualification loss in 2009. He will now regroup and prepare for a challenge from Glover Teixeira, who is 22-2 and riding a 20-fight win streak, five of them in the UFC.
