Jon Jones opens as sizeable favorite over Alexander Gustafsson ahead of UFC 232 rematch

The oddsmakers aren’t very confident in Alexander Gustafsson ahead of his newly announced UFC 232 rematch with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

The online sportsbook Bovada.lv has pegged Jones as the -280 favorite for this fight (h/t MMAMania), meaning a successful $280 bet on the former champion would earn you $100. Gustafsson, meanwhile, has been labelled as a +220 underdog, which means a successful $100 bet on him would earn you $220.

While it’s very normal for Jon Jones to enter his fights as a massive betting favorite, this UFC 232 fight with Alexander Gustafsson is a bit of a special case.

Jones and Gustafsson first met at UFC 165 in Toronto in 2013. On that night, the pair battled tooth and nail for five, frenzied rounds. While Jones ultimately walked away with a unanimous decision win — and the light heavyweight title — many fans felt that Gustafsson had done enough to earn the win.

Evidently the oddsmakers don’t feel Gustafsson’s success in the first fight will carry over to this UFC 232 rematch.

Of course, it’s worth noting that Jon Jones claims that he didn’t train very hard for his first fight with Gustafsson.

“I didn’t train very hard for that fight,” Jones said in a recent interview with RT Sport. “I’m not making excuses, but this is just the truth. I could have given it a lot more effort, I got fatigued after the first two rounds, which is something that never normally happens in my fights, so I feel like the next time I fight him, I will finish him.”

“I’d love to fight him again and take him seriously this time. The first time I fought him, I wasn’t living life the way a champion should be living life.”

What do you think of the odds for UFC 232’s newly announced Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson rematch?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/12/2018.