Alexander Gustafsson still considers Jon Jones to be the real Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder.
Gustafsson is well aware of what reigning 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier and Jones are capable of. “The Mauler” had close title bouts with both men. He fell short to both competitors via decision.
Jones would be recognized as the current UFC light heavyweight kingpin, but he failed a UFC 214 drug test. “Bones” tested positive for turinabol and was stripped of the gold.
Despite the circumstances, Gustafsson recently told Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour” that he views Jones as the true light heavyweight champion (via MMAMania.com):
“He has the belt, and I want to fight Cormier again for sure. I want the belt. But the real champion is Jon Jones, of course, because he has been destroying everybody in the division. Everything that he’s done, nobody has done it before. So to me he is the real champion, but I do accept ‘DC’ a champion, too. He is a good guy, good fighter and the only guy he lost to is Jon Jones. He is the real deal and champion material.”
