Thiago Santos sure did make Jon Jones work for another UFC light heavyweight title defense last night (Sat., July 6, 2019) at UFC 239 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but Jones eventually came out on top with a split-decision win.
Jones admitted himself after the fight that Santos was more technical than he expected and it certainly showed in the fight. Santos, despite badly injuring his leg early in the affair, arguably did more damage than Jones. The Brazilian challenger landed heavy leg kicks in the early going and then relied on forward combinations to put scary pressure on the champ for all 25 minutes.
Jones, who landed his fair share of shots, didn’t seem to dominate any aspect of the standup, even though he offered a significant range advantage. The champion never even tried to take the action to the canvas despite being the more well-rounded grappler. Instead, “Bones” was happy to stand with Santos and try to outpoint his power with precision and creativity. It narrowly worked.
While some fight fans may have thought Santos did enough to win the contest it was Jones who walked away with the split decision win. Santos may not have gotten the win he wanted, but at least one judge scored it his way. Check out the official scorecard above.
So, Maniacs. Who did you have winning this fight?
For complete UFC 239 results and coverage click here.