Jon Jones' Trainer Greg Jackson Says LHW Champ Is 'Pretty Busted Up'

Greg Jackson, head coach and trainer for UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, said Monday afternoon that Jones is "pretty busted up" about 40 hours after defending his title against upstart challenger Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 Saturday night.

"The last I talked to him, I was letting him rest, but his foot was pretty busted up," Jackson said Monday on The MMA Hour broadcast with host Ariel Helwani. "I'm not sure where it happened, whether it was the head kicks he landed, or checking one of Alex's kicks."

After the fight, Jones was reportedly taken to the hospital on a stretcher, and it was subsequently reported that a cageside doctor almost stopped the fight due to a deep cut Jones suffered over his eye. 

"He did have some lacerations," Jackson said. "But it was his foot that was really giving him problems. It was his left foot."

Jackson dismissed speculation that the foot injury hampered Jones' ability to take Gustafsson to the mat. Jones, normally a strong wrestler, converted only one of 11 takedown attempts. Meanwhile, Jones was taken down for the first times in his pro career.

"Maybe, maybe not," Jackson said of the injury's affect on Jones' wrestling. "But I just think Gustafsson had a really great plan…I think he was just able to shut down those takedowns."

As most living and breathing MMA fans are aware, Jones was in the dogfight of his life with Gustafsson, who was a heavy underdog coming into the bout. The five-round, back-and-forth main event was difficult to score, with fighters, fans and media members divided on who really won the fight. 

Both men visited the hospital after the fight and were later released. 

The three official judges at cageside scored the bout 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. The contest received Fight of the Night honors from the UFC and was an instant favorite for Fight of the Year.

The numbers provided by FightMetric, the UFC's official statistics provider, showed that Jones had a small advantage in total strikes landed, though Gustafsson held edges in strikes to the head and body.

Not surprisingly, the fight-watching public and Gustafsson himself quickly began clamoring for an immediate rematch. At the post-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White indicated he was open to the idea, but did not make a firm commitment.