Explaining UFC title merry-go-round with Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier & Alexander Gustafsson
Six fights that led to this moment...
Thursday 1 October 2015 09:52, UK
Jon Jones' shadow looms menacingly over the upcoming UFC light-heavyweight world championship fight between Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson.
Pound-for-pound king Jones had defended his belt against both men but, after being suspended and stripped of his title, must watch his two rivals fight for the prize.
Sky Sports recalls a wild two years at 205 pounds that led to Cormier now defending the world championship against Gustafsson at UFC 192 this weekend.
Gustafsson lost to Jon Jones
September 2013, UFC 165 in Toronto
The story begins with the greatest championship fight in UFC history, when the up-and-coming Gustafsson came within a fingertip of causing a sensational shock.
The peerless Jones had won six title fights in a row in largely dominant fashion yet it was this come-from-behind victory that cemented his place among the all-time greats.
Jones shockingly found himself on his back for the first time in his career but edged the final three rounds in a heroic show of courage, with both fighters battered to a pulp, to sneak a unanimous decision. The fight went down in history and Gustafsson left with new-found respect, but without the belt.
Gustafsson beat Jimi Manuwa
March 2014, UFC Fight Night in London
The rangy Swede returned to the Octagon on these shores and a spectacular knockout win gave him hope of a rematch against Jones.
Londoner Manuwa was an undefeated KO artist looking for his biggest scalp to date in The O2 Arena but Gustafsson made a mockery of his chances with a fight-ending knee to the jawline.
Cormier beat Dan Henderson
May 2014, UFC 173 in Las Vegas
The former Olympic wrestler Cormier threw the legendary Henderson around the cage with ease before submitting him, keeping his perfect record intact.
Cormier was swiftly booked to challenge Jones next, and their personal animosity spilled over violently when a Vegas press conference descended into a brawl in front of dumbfounded onlookers.
Cormier lost to Jon Jones
January 2015, UFC 182 in Las Vegas
The grudge match was one-sided with Jones again mesmerising by toying with his latest foe. Cormier's Olympic wrestling pedigree didn't aid him, as it was Jones who frequently put his opponent on his back.
Unwilling to let the rivalry die, Jones intentionally celebrated an inevitable decision win with a few seconds remaining before unleashing one final punch until the referee held them apart with the final bell ringing.
Gustafsson lost to Anthony Johnson
January 2015, UFC Fight Night in Stockholm
Three weeks later, Gustafsson's chance to seal a rematch with Jones was viciously taken away from him on home soil.
A 30,000-capacity crowd in Sweden was stunned into silence after less than three minutes when the heavy-handed Johnson sent Gustafsson spiralling out of control. He wouldn't recover, and Johnson was confirmed as the next challenger to Jones' throne.
Yet Johnson's chance never came - three months later, the champion was arrested for a hit-and-run incident. His title was stripped, and he remains suspended.
Cormier beat Anthony Johnson
May 2015, UFC 187 in Las Vegas
Cormier, just four months after losing his first title fight, won the vacant championship that Jones left behind.
The 36-year-old survived an early KO scare to wrestle Johnson into exhaustion, eventually securing a third-round submission. The belt was even wrapped around Cormier's waist by his beaten opponent.
That leads us to Cormier's first title defence against Gustafsson this weekend - forcing the outcast Jones to watch his two rivals contest the championship that he was never defeated for.
