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February - 2015
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
12
THE FOUR NARRATIVES OF JON
JONES VS. ANTHONY JOHNSON
Article By: Adan O’Connor
Amid reservations of reach, conditioning, and
a homefield advantage, Anthony Johnson pre-
vailed over fellow light heavyweight Alexander
Gustafsson in swift fashion at UFC on FOX 14.
Johnson’s underdog status was reflected by the
legions of European MMA fans in attendance,
who packed the 30,000 capacity Tele2 Arena
until the early hours of Sunday morning to sup-
port his opponent; their darling; the Swedish
sensation. A sudden barrage of head kicks, up-
percuts, and overhand rights would soon silence
them, as ‘Rumble’ stopped Gustafsson by TKO
at 2:15 of round one.
In doing so, Johnson became the number one
contender to Jon Jones’ championship. With a
seventh straight win after moving up to light
heavyweight and a third impressive victory since
returning to the UFC in April 2014, Johnson rep-
resents the latest behemoth to challenge Jones
for his throne at the top. To simply make that
claim, however, would ignore the rich subtleties
of this contest that are ripe to harvest for pro-
motion.
That’s why this week, I explore the four intrigu-
ing narratives to Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson
that make their clash truly unique.
(Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)