Alexander Gustafsson, Jon Jones smile together in hospital photo

Alexander Gustafsson, left, throws a punch at Jon Jones during their light-heavyweight fight at UFC 165 on Saturday.

By Austin Knoblauch

Sept. 23, 2013 12 AM PT

Alexander Gustafsson gave Jon Jones quite a scare Saturday night at UFC 165, narrowly losing to the defending light-heavyweight champion in a hard-fought, five-round battle.

The fight left both competitors bloodied and bruised, but at least it didn’t damage the respect the two fighters have for one another.

Gustafsson posted this photo of himself and Jones smiling together in a hospital following their fight Saturday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto:

Post by Alexander Gustafsson.

After the fight, Jones praised Gustafsson for giving him a challenge.

“Man, I’ll tell you what, I’ve been asking for a dogfight for a long time, and I finally got that dogfight I’ve been looking for,” Jones said.

It’s great to see good sportsmanship can endure even the most brutal of tests. It kind of makes you wonder why some professional athletes can’t be satisfied with their high pay and be more respectful to one another.