Official scorecards released for Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/9/24/4763046/mma-morning-report-official-scorecards-ufc-165-jon-jones-vs-alexander-gustafsson-mma-news

With the scorecards from UFC 165's main event released, we now get a better look at how the judges saw Jon Jones successfully defending his light heavyweight title to Alexander Gustafsson. After a brutal, five-round bout, here's how the judges scored it:

Judge Doug Crosby
Rd. 1: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 2: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 3: Jones 10-9
Rd. 4: Jones 10-9
Rd. 5: Jones 10-9

Judge Richard Bertrand
Rd. 1: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 2: Jones 10-9
Rd. 3: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 4: Jones 10-9
Rd. 5: Jones 10-9

Judge Chris Lee
Rd. 1: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 2: Jones 10-9
Rd. 3: Jones 10-9
Rd. 4: Jones 10-9
Rd. 5: Jones 10-9

(via FOX Sports)

Doug Crosby, who scored the bout 48-47 for the champion, gave Jones rounds three, four and five while giving Gustafsson the first two. Richard Bertrand, who also scored it 48-47 for Jones, saw him win rounds two, four and five with the challenger taking one and three. Chris Lee, scoring the fight 49-46 for Jones, only had Gustafsson winning the first round. Each judge scores the first round for Gustafsson, while Jones swept the championship rounds. Had it been a three-round contest, Gustafsson would have walked away with the decision.

Fans and fighters alike instantly clamored that Gustafsson had earned the nod, leaving the door open for debate. Even so, keep in mind that seemingly close fights often aren't reflected on the score cards. Judges are discouraged from scoring 10-10 rounds, forcing them to treat each independent round as its own competition. As our own Dave Meltzer pointed out, the scoring of Saturday's main event wasn't nearly as curious as some think.

"It was close. Chris Lee wasn't crazy, certainly not in this fight. It's rare, but you can have a razor close fight and end up 50-45. Razor-close fights ending 30-27 are not rare. You can have a near slaughter in the end and it end up 48-47. The score can reflect the closeness of the fight, but it's a round-by-round system. Plenty of 29-28 fights are not close fights at all."