Critics said Chael Sonnen didn’t belong in the same cage with Jon Jones. That, coming off a loss to Anderson Silva, he didn’t deserve a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship. Oddsmakers, too, were almost unanimous in their opinion that Sonnen had nothing for Jones.
And, this time at least, the critics were all right.
Jones dominated Sonnen in a short, one-sided fight. Worse for Sonnen’s pride, Jones chose to eschew his incredible reach advantage and beat Sonnen at his own game. It was Jones who won the battle in the clinch and took Sonnen down at will, a role reversal that shocked many cageside.
Of course, Jones wasn’t the only winner on the night, though labeling him a winner seems like a stretch. He beat an overmatched opponent and somehow ended up badly injuring his big toe in the process.
From the very beginning, the show seemed jinxed. Not one but two fights were stopped early due to eye pokes and another fighter broke his thumb defending a takedown. At one point, the announcers’ microphones were seemingly possessed by demons. It was just that kind of night.
Click along, and together, we’ll relive the highs and lows of one of the wackiest UFCs in some time.