UFC® LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JON JONES FACES ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON AT UFC® 165
IN TORONTO ON SEPTEMBER 21
INTERIM BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE ALSO ON THE LINE AS
RENAN BARAO DEFENDS BELT AGAINST EDDIE WINELAND
UFC® 165: JONES vs. GUSTAFSSON
Air Canada Centre®
On sale Thursday, July 11
*Press Conference on Tuesday, July 9 in Toronto*
Toronto, Canada – UFC® light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones returns to Air Canada Centre® in Toronto on Saturday, September 21 to defend his title against Swedish contender Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson. The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that tickets for this five-round championship bout will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, July 11 at 10 a.m. EST.
At just 25 years old, Jones is one the most dominant fighters in UFC light heavyweight history. His 12 wins are 2nd most in the division’s history while his five consecutive title defenses tie him with UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz’s light heavyweight record.
Gustafsson, 26, enters the bout with a near spotless record, having won six straight while holding a 15-1 all-time record (7-1 in the UFC). Injury forced him off an April card in his native Sweden however his previous bout saw him earn a unanimous decision over former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua in December 2012.
“Jon Jones is re-writing the record book for the light heavyweight division,” UFC President Dana White said. “He is one of the pound-for-pound best in the world with a record-tying five straight title defenses by age 25. This bout with Gustafsson is an awesome fight. Alex is a big man plus he’s mean and hungry – and excited for the opportunity to fight Jones.”
Jones and Gustafsson will join Tom Wright, UFC Director of Canadian Operations, at a public press conference at Real Sports Bar & Grill® (15 York St., Toronto) on Tuesday, July 9 at 12p.m. EST.
In addition to the Jones-Gustafsson showdown, Toronto will also see another UFC belt on the line as interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao (32-1, 1NC, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) will look for his second straight title defense against No.4 ranked contender Eddie Wineland (20-8-1, fighting out of Chesterton, Indiana). The pair were to meet at UFC 161 in June but injury forced Barao off the card as he now brings his impressive unbeaten streak (30 victories, 1 no-contest) against the former WEC bantamweight champion.
Other bouts for UFC 165 include two heavyweights making their Octagon® debut and four Canadians in action:
· Heavyweights Daniel Omielanczuk (15-3-1, 1 NC, fighting out of Warsaw, Poland) vs. Nandor Guelmino (11-4-1, fighting out of Vienna, Austria)
· Welterweights Stephen Thompson (7-1, fighting out of Simpsonville, South Carolina) vs. London, Ontario’s Chris Clements (11-4-0, 1 NC)
· Lightweight Myles Jury(12-0, fighting out of San Diego, California) vs. Montreal’s Mike Ricci (9-3)
· Japan’s Norifumi Yamamoto (18-6, 1 NC) vs. Montreal’s Ivan Menjivar (25-10) in a bantamweight contest
Tickets for UFC® 165: JONES vs. GUSTAFSSON go on sale Thursday, July 11 at 10 a.m. EST and are priced at $450, $300, $200, $150, $95 and $75. Tickets will be available at the Air Canada Centre® box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-5000 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.
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