There seem to be a consensus that Jon Jones should fight Alexander Gustafsson next, as they had a very close fight and it was the first and only time Jon Jones was in some danger. That’s why there is such a strong reaction to Jon’s’ reluctance to take on this fight.
I don’t share this enthusiasm for this fight. As a rule, I watch MMA to see different guys fight. It’s always interesting to see how different fighters will do against each other, who is better, and what will happen. And this is especially true for the champion. I want to see him fight as many fighters as possible, see how he deals with all of them and what they can bring against him. We’ve seen Jones vs. Gustafsson already, and it was a great fight. Nobody won that fight and there is a good chance that nobody would win their next fight too. Of course it would be fun to see them match up again, but there is a good chance we would just see a repeat of the first fight.
And besides, should Gustafsson really be the champion? Let’s say that they fight and the judges give him 3 rounds. Does he really deserve to be the champion? Whom has he beat in the Top 10? He went to close decisions with Rua and Jones, while Jones finished almost everybody he faced through TKOs and submissions. Of course it would exciting and it would shake up the LHW division but that’s true for any loss of Jones, and personally I think this time Jones would come prepared and win more decisively.
So it would either end in a close decision for Jones which just be a repeat of last time, a decisive victory for Jones, which would just leave us with the feeling this fight was expendable, or a close decision for Gustafsson which would give him an undeserving title (no way Gustafsson finishes Jones, IMO).
I’d much rather see Jones face someone he hasn’t faced, and there is someone who would make a very interesting opponent: Daniel Cormier, who looks amazing again and again. If, for some reason, Jones would never fight again after his next fight, I would be very sorry to have missed Jones vs. Cormier, while I wouldn’t feel I’ve missed Jones vs. Gustafsson.
Some rematches are definitely a must: when Cain Velasquez lost to Junior Dos Santos one minute into the fight it felt like it was a lucky punch, and he should be given another chance. When Anderson Silva got knocked out by Chris Weidman, it felt like he could do a lot better if he wouldn’t play around as much. But this is not the same situation. We saw the fight; it was good, but it doesn’t mean we have to see an immediate rematch. There are other worthy opponents for Jones. Gustafsson can get his rematch later, maybe after beating (and finishing) a Top 10 guy or two.
Having said that, this is just my personal opinion, and the reality is that there is quite a demand among fans to see this rematch (at least that’s the feeling I’m getting). By trying to avoid it, Jones does make it look like he is afraid. I don’t think he is, but that’s not the issue. If there is really such a demand for that fight (which is a good question – is there really?) then he should accept it, and beat Gustaffson decisively like I think he would.