Jon Jones is once again UFC's light heavyweight champion. The UFC superstar, coming off a 15-month suspension after testing positive for a metabolite of a banned substance, returned to the Octagon at UFC 232 with the chance to regain the belt he was stripped of.
With calculated precision, Jones picked apart Alexander Gustafsson for three rounds with a mix of kicks and punches. The end came at the 2:02 mark of the third round when Jones took Gustafsson's back on the ground and finished him off with a series of punches to the side of his head.
Gustafsson did land some early blows, but Jones kept his distance and continued his precision kicks and elbows. Jones took down Gustafsson, who was clearly affected by Jones's leg kicks, with a double-leg takedown early in the third.
From there, Jones established a dominant position, moving from half guard to the back. Once he had his back, Jones unleashed punches to the side of Gustafsson's head until referee Mike Beltran stopped the fight.
Following the fight, Jones called out current UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who relinquished the light heavyweight belt prior to UFC 232.
"Daddy's home, DC," Jones said. "Prove to the fans that you're the champ champ. I'm here. I'll be waiting."
Cormier has already made it clear he intends to retire when he turns 40 in March and has no desire to fight Jones for a third time.