5 UFC rematches that didn't live up to the original

#2. Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson – UFC 232

Jon Jones' first bout with Alexander Gustafsson set a standard unmatchable for their rematch

When UFC fans compile lists of the greatest title fights in the promotion’s history, one bout that tends to come close to the top is Jon Jones’ 2013 light heavyweight title defense against Alexander Gustafsson.

At the time, few fans expected Gustafsson to be able to push ‘Bones’ all the way, but in stunning fashion, the Swede took the fight to the champion through the early rounds and largely outstruck him.

Only a brutal spinning elbow in the latter moments of the fourth round turned the tide in favour of Jones. While ‘Bones’ managed to claim a decision victory, many fans actually felt that ‘The Mauler’ deserved to take the gold home.

The UFC attempted to book an immediate rematch, but it fell through due to an injury to Gustafsson. In the end, it would be another five years before the two men would face off again.

Unfortunately, while Jones remained largely in his prime for the rematch, the same could not be said for ‘The Mauler’. While the Swede came into the fight on the back of two straight wins, he’d also been out of action for over a year with various injuries.

Sure enough, he simply couldn’t hold a candle to Jones when it came to it and ended up succumbing to a third-round TKO in a largely one-sided fight. If their first bout had been an instant classic, their rematch was anything but, and could not have gone more simply for Jones, disappointing the fans greatly.

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#1. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar – UFC 62

Forrest Griffin's first bout with Stephan Bonnar was an instant classic - but the same could not be said for their rematch

A fight that is usually considered to have changed the UFC’s fortunes entirely, the brawl between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar that capped off the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter still holds up today.

Both men put everything they had on the line in order to claim a much-vaunted six-figure contract with the promotion. After a wild brawl that saw both men beaten bloody, Griffin was handed a razor-close victory.

Sure, the clash wasn’t a technical classic, but as far as straight up brawls go, it was pretty hard to touch. Therefore, it made perfect sense that the promotion would look to book a rematch at some stage.

It turned out that they would wait just over a year before matching Griffin and Bonnar again. Unfortunately, if fans expected a redux of the original brawl, they were mistaken.

While Bonnar remained largely the same fighter that he’d been during TUF, Griffin had improved dramatically in the time that had passed, and was beginning to be considered a genuine contender for the UFC light heavyweight title.

Sure enough, he showed no interest in brawling with ‘The American Psycho’ in their rematch, and instead used his leg kicks and crisper boxing to pick him apart en route to a clear-cut decision win.

The fight wasn’t bad or dull but, unsurprisingly, it didn’t come close to thrilling the fans in the same way that the original fight did and stands as one of the best examples of a rematch that didn’t live up to the original.