Tag: Jon Jones

‘UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage’ — Live Results & Commentary

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson UFC 135 photos
(At first I was like…)

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson UFC 135 photos
(…but then I LOL’d. / Photos courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)

Tonight’s kind of a big deal, you guys. UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a chance to establish his legacy by defending his belt against former champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. And when you look at the supporting card, you’ll notice a similar theme: Between Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck, Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz, and Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell, UFC 135 is all about the old guard making one last stand against the scrappers who came up behind them. Do the old dogs still have some fight left, or will tonight represent a brutal changing of the guard?

Handling play-by-play for CagePotato.com once again is Matt Kaplan, who will be delivering updates on the “Jones vs. Rampage” pay-per-view main card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Join the party after the jump, and refresh your page every few minutes for all the latest.

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson UFC 135 photos
(At first I was like…)

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson UFC 135 photos
(…but then I LOL’d. / Photos courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)

Tonight’s kind of a big deal, you guys. UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a chance to establish his legacy by defending his belt against former champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. And when you look at the supporting card, you’ll notice a similar theme: Between Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck, Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz, and Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell, UFC 135 is all about the old guard making one last stand against the scrappers who came up behind them. Do the old dogs still have some fight left, or will tonight represent a brutal changing of the guard?

Handling play-by-play for CagePotato.com once again is Matt Kaplan, who will be delivering updates on the “Jones vs. Rampage” pay-per-view main card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Join the party after the jump, and refresh your page every few minutes for all the latest.

Here we go. UFC 135. Rampage vs. Bones. Quick thoughts before we get to anything real: 1) I just watched some of the intro. stuff, and the Matt Hughes-Josh Koscheck clips reminded me not only of what each guy is capable of doing, but also of how many beatings poor Frank Trigg has taken.  2) I want to see Nate Diaz do something grimy -or at least very distasteful – tonight. I don’t even care what it is. 3) Rampage literally sounds like a baby in the “I want my belt baaaaack!” clip. 4) Bones comes across as very humble, very respectful on camera. People love it. I’m extremely suspicious. 5) Am I rooting for Hughes or against Koscheck? Does it matter?

Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz: Rd. 1: Gomi paws at Nate’s jab as they feel one another out. Nate drops Gomi with a left handed slap on the beak! Gomi’s back up, though, and looks calm. Nate’s lead right is busy so far after a good body shot from Gomi. Right-left from Nate lands. Gomi swings a lone, wild right hand from his back pocket. Nate tees off with the lead right and a follow-up stinging left. Gomi is down. Nate has the back, pounds for a bit, but Gomi slips out. Back to the boxing clinic by Nate. Gomi gets a takedown, but Nate slaps on the triangle. Transition to the armbar…….and that’s a tap. Sick.

Post fight, Nate refers to brother Nick as “the best fighter in the world” and then shouts out the Shields family. Cesar Gracie fighters are cool.

Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton: Rd. 1: Big overhand right misses from Browne, who looks smooth on his big ol’ feet. He presses Broughton against the cage; they trade knees and short punches. Low kicks from Browne are landing clean. Lead left from Browne. Broughton isn’t doing too much here. A right hand from Browne answers a body punch from Broughton. Broughton charges in, but not with much. Big left hook from Browne; his follow-up flying knee is off target. Browne gets an easy takedown in the final seconds and finishes the round in half guard. Rd 2: Broughton is throwing inside leg kicks, but there’s not much sting to them. Browne is still loose and lands a hard leg kick. Body shot, leg kick from Browne. Broughton catches a kick, but Browne is still up. Browne lands 1-2s as he charges in and puts 4 or 5 knees on Broughton against the cage. Browne has Broughton pinned against the cage: not much from either fighter here. Back to the center of the cage and Browne just got a laughably easy takedown (again). He’s got mount now, Browne does. Ground and pound, Broughton rolls over, and then back to his back. Browne ends the round with ground strikes. Rd. 3: Low kick from Browne, who’s slowed down a little. Big right from Broughton, who had Browne against the cage. Browne snatches a leg for a takedown. Side control; half guard. Did I just hear Broughton was a wrestler? Holy shit. Browne is all over him, but not firing too many strikes. 3/4 mount, it looks like, and now Browne has back mount. Broughton rolls to his back. Full mount. Broughton gets it back to guard and works for an arm. Browne is free after a few seconds. Both men stand as the boos pour in before the final bell. Travis Browne earns the judges’ decision, 30-27 across the board.

Ben Rothwell vs. Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt: Rd. 1: Lead left lands for Hunt, who then avoids a shot from Big Ben. Left hook, right hand from Hunt lands on Ben’s chin. Long jabs from Ben; lead left hook from Hunt. Hunt circles away. Ben ducks a hook, and takes Hunt down. Mount. Ben has Hunt against the cage, but Hunt pops back up. Ben jabs. Hunt is bleeding a little on the left side of his head and stuffs a single. And again. Right hand from Hunt connects. He lands an elbow and is on top of Ben. Side control status. Ben is up right away, though. Right hand from Ben and they’re down, with Ben on top against the cage. Heavy elbows! Ben pins down Hunt’s right arm with his knee and keeps working to the bell. Rd. 2: Both guys are bloodied. Lead left hook from Hunt. Hunt stuff another takedown. They both seem tired as hell. Right uppercut from Hunt just misses. Ben jabs. Hunt kicks the back leg hard. Uppercut from Hunt, who lands on top of Ben and in Ben’s guard. Ben wants an armbar, it seems. Heavy gnp from Hunt, who has Ben’s arm trapped across his face. Elbows from side control from Mr. Hunt. Hunt is coming on. Ben scrambles, but Hunt is back on top. Full mount for Hunt. He snatches the left arm. He wants to extend it, but Ben holds on for the final seconds. Wow. Rd. 3: Ben is battered. Right hand from Hunt stings Ben. Uppercuts from Hunt. Hunt sprawls. Another big Samoan right hand. Ben is wobbly. Hunt tries for the trip and drags Ben down. Hunt is in Ben’s guard. Ben is bloody and gassed. The ref stands ‘em up. Ben is on noodle legs. Hunt stuffs a slow takedown. Uppercut from Hunt, but Ben keeps shooting. Huge right from Hunt. These guys are sleepwalking practically. Hunt gets the takedown; side cotrol. Hunt wants to pin down the left arm. Hammer fists from Hunt. Ben squirms for full guard. The ref stands them up? Another uppercut from Hunt. Ben has his hands on his knees. Hunt gets a takedown, but Ben maneuvers to squeeze a headlock and lands in half guard in the final seconds. The judges give it unanimously to Mark Hunt.

Mike Goldberg just called Rob Dyrdek “Rob Deed-rick.” Oh, Goldy…

Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck: Hughes is walking out with Pat Miletich for the first time in a while. I also see Matt Pena, Jeremy Horn, and Robbie Lawler. Old school. Rd. 1:  Hughes jabs early to the right eye of Koscheck. Right uppercut and left hook clip combo clips Hughes. Left hook from Hughes now. And again. Another uppercut from Koscheck, but missing. Uppercut from Hughes, the boxer, apparently. Both men sneak in uppercuts, but nothing lands flush. Hughes stuffs the TD and hits a knee. Left hook from Hughes. Big uppercut and a right hand from Koscheck, and Hughes feels it. Clinch. Koz is throwing. Hammer fists from Koz to a downed Hughes. Hughes is down and in trouble. Hughes is out cold with just seconds left! Hot damn. TKO win at 4:59 for Josh Koscheck. Matt Hughes is not retiring, but he says he’s going “on the shelf.”

Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Rd. 1: Bones crawls out to Rampage, who promptly knees his body. Clinch against the cage. Knees from Jones to Rampage’s thighs. Nice elbow from Jones! Jones is pressing against the cage, but the two meet in the center of the cage. High kicks from Jones are blocked. Jones clinches and looks for a trip, but Rampage stays up. Head kick from Jones is blocked. Jones kicks Rampage’s lead knee. Left hand from Jones connects. Another kick to the knee from the champ. Jones pushed Rampage against the cage as they clinch. Spinning elbow lands for Bones as they separate. Head kick again from Bones. Spinning heel kick from Bones sails high. Rampage swings big at the end of the round. Too little, too late, though. Rd. 2: Bones attacks the lead leg and clinches again. Bones tries another spinning elbow and keeps kicking that lead knee. Low kick from Rampage. Lead right hook misses from Bones. Body kick from Bones. Lead left hits for Rampage. Bones keeps moving and kicking at Rampage’s legs. Swing and a miss with the left for Bones. Rampage isn’t mounting much offense here. Two nice leg kicks from Bones. Spinning back kick hits for Bones. Head kick now. Rampage looks hesitant from the outside. Left hook lands for the challenger. Bones misses with a missile of a left hand. They clinch. Rampage pulls guard from the clinch in the final few seconds. Rd. 3: Bones catches a Rampage kick and grabs a front headlock. Rampage swings wide, but Jones ducks. Leg kicks from Rampage now. Bones keeps mixing up his punches. Bones grabs a single and gets the takedown. Side control. Full mount. Gnp time:elbows. Rampage his escapes. Rampage is up, but Jones has his neck. Rampage is free, but bloody above the right eye. Nasty kick to the gut from Bones. Looping left misses for Rampage. Bones misses a close elbow and avoids a big right hook from Rampage. Lead left hook from Bones. Bones keeps kicking low. Flying knee from Bones and a kick to the knee. Rampage avoids a switch kick. Bones drops for a double at the horn and drops Rampage after the round ends. Rd. 4: Early clinch and Bones gets the takedown. Knees to the body from Bones, who has back control. RNC? Yup! Tapout.

Post-fight Rampage: “…I’m disappointed, but I’m still gon’ get drunk tonight!”

And from then undercard…

Cole Escovedo vs. Takeya Mizugaki: Rd. 1: Mizugaki fires early with crisp combos. Big knee from Cole with his back on the fence. Mizugaki does the same and escapes to the center of the cage. Good jab from Cole. Low kick from Mizugaki. Hard left hands from Mizugaki, who presses Cole into the cage. Cole Thai clinches, but releases. Big right hand from Mizugaki. Mizugaki drags Cole down, but they’re right back up. Nice knee from Cole. Cole climbs Mizugaki and wants a triangle. Mizugaki falls on top of Cole. They’re up again. Good action so far. Inside leg kick from Mizugaki. Thai clinch and knees from Cole. Elbows from the clinch for Cole. This is awesome. Nice left from Cole, who barely misses a head kick. 1-2 from Mizugaki. Left hand to the body from Mizugaki just before the round ends. Rd. 2: Mizugaki catches a kick and drops Cole with a right hand. Cole’s back up. Inside leg kick from Mizugaki. Right cross from Mizugaki. Lead left hook from Mizugaki. Nice kick from Cole. Head kick from Cole, but Mizugaki fires back. And again the head kick from Cole. Uppercut-left hook combo from Mizugaki. Body punch from Mizugaki. Left hand staggers and drops Cole. He’s up. A flurry of big punches and knees from Mizugaki. Huge left hook from Mizugaki to Cole against the cage. Cole is banged up. Mizugaki is pouring it on. Cole is down from a short left and Mizugaki finishes him with a final right hand. Great action from the 135-pounders.


Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck Earn UFC 135 Bonuses

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Jon Jones kicks Rampage Jackson at UFC 135.For UFC fighters Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck, their UFC 135 paydays got bigger after their fights.

UFC President Dana White announced at the UFC 135 post-fight press conference that Jones, Jackson, Diaz and Koscheck had each won $75,000 bonuses.

Jones and Jackson won the Fight of the Night award for their main event performance, in which Jones forced Jackson to tap out to a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. Jackson was a game opponent who didn’t back down from Jones’ constant attacks, and that made it an entertaining fight, even though it wasn’t a particularly competitive fight, as Jones dominated throughout.

Jones had previously won a Submission of the Night award against Ryan Bader, and a Knockout of the Night award against Brandon Vera. Jackson has won two previous Fight of the Night awards (against Keith Jardine and Forrest Griffin) as well as Knockout of the Night awards against Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.

Diaz won the Submission of the Night for his arm bar of Takanori Gomi in the first round of their fight, which started the pay-per-view. It’s the third time in Diaz’s career that he has won the Submission of the Night award. Diaz has also received four Fight of the Night bonuses.

Koscheck got the Knockout of the Night award for stopping Matt Hughes with one second left in the first round. It’s the second Knockout of the Night award for Koscheck, who has also won a Fight of the Night and a Submission of the Night bonus previously in his career.

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Jon Jones kicks Rampage Jackson at UFC 135.For UFC fighters Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck, their UFC 135 paydays got bigger after their fights.

UFC President Dana White announced at the UFC 135 post-fight press conference that Jones, Jackson, Diaz and Koscheck had each won $75,000 bonuses.

Jones and Jackson won the Fight of the Night award for their main event performance, in which Jones forced Jackson to tap out to a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. Jackson was a game opponent who didn’t back down from Jones’ constant attacks, and that made it an entertaining fight, even though it wasn’t a particularly competitive fight, as Jones dominated throughout.

Jones had previously won a Submission of the Night award against Ryan Bader, and a Knockout of the Night award against Brandon Vera. Jackson has won two previous Fight of the Night awards (against Keith Jardine and Forrest Griffin) as well as Knockout of the Night awards against Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.

Diaz won the Submission of the Night for his arm bar of Takanori Gomi in the first round of their fight, which started the pay-per-view. It’s the third time in Diaz’s career that he has won the Submission of the Night award. Diaz has also received four Fight of the Night bonuses.

Koscheck got the Knockout of the Night award for stopping Matt Hughes with one second left in the first round. It’s the second Knockout of the Night award for Koscheck, who has also won a Fight of the Night and a Submission of the Night bonus previously in his career.

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UFC 135 Results: Jon Jones Has Too Many Weapons for Rampage

Jon Jones possesses a massive arsenal of weapons and his skills will be on full display as he dominates Quinton “Rampage” Jackson tonight.Jones is a heavy favorite against Rampage and for good reason. He is technically brilliant, combining pin point st…

Jon Jones possesses a massive arsenal of weapons and his skills will be on full display as he dominates Quinton “Rampage” Jackson tonight.

Jones is a heavy favorite against Rampage and for good reason. He is technically brilliant, combining pin point strikes with explosive power and advanced wrestling skills.

He is incredibly balanced and has devastated the world’s best fighters in a variety of ways, from flying knees to spinning elbows to simply tossing his opponent around like a ragdoll.

Rampage on the other hand is about as one-dimensional as they come. He’s a legendary fighter, but he’s really more of a boxer than a mixed martial artist.

He wins fights in one way and one way only: by landing brutal right handed haymakers. His game plan tonight will be to get inside of Jones’ defense and catch him on the chin with a few big right hands.

Unfortunately for Rampage, that sounds much easier than it actually is. Jones’ reach of 84.5 inches is just absurd, almost a whole foot longer than Jackson’s. It will be damn near impossible for Rampage to touch Jones’ face, let alone land any haymakers.

While he tries to penetrate Jones’ defense, Rampage will be eating plenty of jabs, backhands and kicks. The length of Jones is problematic enough, but his striking accuracy is exceptional. He constantly lands precision strikes with devastating power.

And if the fight goes to the ground, Jackson is completely screwed. Jones has made top notch wrestlers look like children in the past, and Rampage is no top notch wrestler.

Jackson has a punchers chance, in the truest meaning of the cliche. He can win this fight, but only if he lands a couple shocking blows. The chin of Jon Jones has yet to be tested and Jackson has the power and explosiveness to do just that.

But given the length and balance of Jones, along with the amount of hits he’ll be taking while waiting for his chance, I’m not expecting Rampage to last very long.

 I’m predicting the 24-year-old Jones to retain his title in dominant fashion.


Make sure to check into Bleacher Report for all things UFC 135. B/R is your home for MMA, from pre-fight predictions, round-by-round recaps and post-fight analysis which you can check out at our event hub.

Jon Jones Submits Rampage Jackson at UFC 135

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Jon Jones submits Rampage Jackson at UFC 135.Jon Jones said leading up to UFC 135 that he wanted to be the first man to finish Rampage Jackson in the UFC. Jones accomplished that goal, forcing Jackson to tap out in the fourth round of an outstanding light heavyweight title fight, and demonstrating once again that he’s one of the best and most exciting fighters in MMA.

“The game plan was to prove I can strike with Quinton Jackson,” Jones said afterward. “I think we did that.”

It was the striking that gave Jones the advantage for most of the fight, but he ended the fight with a submission, sinking in a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. Throughout the fight Jones was on a completely different level than Jackson. There was no question who the better fighter was.

“He’s great,” Jackson said afterward. “I thought it was hype. The kid is good. I take my hat off to him.”

Jones, who has always had an unusual fighting style, came toward Jackson at the start of the fight in a low stance, almost like a lineman in football, and attempted to go for a takedown. Jones wasn’t able to get Jackson down, but he was able to grab him and control him in the clinch against the fence.

Once they broke free of their clinch, Jones was working on using his significant reach advantage to stay out of harm’s way and land kicks from the outside. Jones landed several kicks that Jackson had no answer for, and he also landed an impressive spinning elbow. At the end of the round Jones threw a dynamic spinning kick that could have given him a highlight reel knockout, but Jackson ducked under it and survived the round.

In the second round Jackson began to look more tentative about Jones’ attack, backing away instead of going to the inside. Jackson also seemed to be affected by Jones’ leg kicks, which were hammering away at Jackson’s lead leg. At the end of the second round Jones jumped guard and attempted a triangle choke, although there wasn’t enough time to get close to a submission.

A minute into the third round Jones went for a takedown and got it easily, immediately falling into side control and then transitioning into full mount. Jones landed a couple of hard elbows, cutting Jackson, although Jackson showed off a nice hip escape and got back to his feet. From there they exchanged strikes for the rest of the round, with Jones getting the better of the exchanges. At the very end of the third round Jones went low for a takedown, and when the horn sounded Jones threw Jackson off him, which seemed to anger Jackson.

Early in the fourth round Jones took Jackson down against the cage and got on top of him, then transitioned to his back beautifully, sunk in a rear-naked choke, and tightened it until Jackson submitted. As Jackson tapped, Jones calmly got up, then briefly celebrated at the center of the Octagon. After Jackson had a moment to recover, he walked over and hugged Jones, knowing he had just been beaten by a better fighter.

Jackson has nothing to be ashamed of. There may be no man alive who can beat Jones. He’s a remarkable champion.
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Jon Jones submits Rampage Jackson at UFC 135.Jon Jones said leading up to UFC 135 that he wanted to be the first man to finish Rampage Jackson in the UFC. Jones accomplished that goal, forcing Jackson to tap out in the fourth round of an outstanding light heavyweight title fight, and demonstrating once again that he’s one of the best and most exciting fighters in MMA.

“The game plan was to prove I can strike with Quinton Jackson,” Jones said afterward. “I think we did that.”

It was the striking that gave Jones the advantage for most of the fight, but he ended the fight with a submission, sinking in a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. Throughout the fight Jones was on a completely different level than Jackson. There was no question who the better fighter was.

“He’s great,” Jackson said afterward. “I thought it was hype. The kid is good. I take my hat off to him.”

Jones, who has always had an unusual fighting style, came toward Jackson at the start of the fight in a low stance, almost like a lineman in football, and attempted to go for a takedown. Jones wasn’t able to get Jackson down, but he was able to grab him and control him in the clinch against the fence.

Once they broke free of their clinch, Jones was working on using his significant reach advantage to stay out of harm’s way and land kicks from the outside. Jones landed several kicks that Jackson had no answer for, and he also landed an impressive spinning elbow. At the end of the round Jones threw a dynamic spinning kick that could have given him a highlight reel knockout, but Jackson ducked under it and survived the round.

In the second round Jackson began to look more tentative about Jones’ attack, backing away instead of going to the inside. Jackson also seemed to be affected by Jones’ leg kicks, which were hammering away at Jackson’s lead leg. At the end of the second round Jones jumped guard and attempted a triangle choke, although there wasn’t enough time to get close to a submission.

A minute into the third round Jones went for a takedown and got it easily, immediately falling into side control and then transitioning into full mount. Jones landed a couple of hard elbows, cutting Jackson, although Jackson showed off a nice hip escape and got back to his feet. From there they exchanged strikes for the rest of the round, with Jones getting the better of the exchanges. At the very end of the third round Jones went low for a takedown, and when the horn sounded Jones threw Jackson off him, which seemed to anger Jackson.

Early in the fourth round Jones took Jackson down against the cage and got on top of him, then transitioned to his back beautifully, sunk in a rear-naked choke, and tightened it until Jackson submitted. As Jackson tapped, Jones calmly got up, then briefly celebrated at the center of the Octagon. After Jackson had a moment to recover, he walked over and hugged Jones, knowing he had just been beaten by a better fighter.

Jackson has nothing to be ashamed of. There may be no man alive who can beat Jones. He’s a remarkable champion.
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UFC 135 Live Blog: Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson Updates

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Jon Jones faces Rampage Jackson at UFC 135.DENVER — This is the UFC 135 live blog for Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the main event of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the Pepsi Center.

Jones (13-1) won the belt from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March and will be making his first title defense in this fight. Jackson (32-8), who is coming off wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill, held the title previously in May 2007 through July 2008.

The live blog is below.


Round 1: A crouching Jones comes forward on his hands and knees to start the fight, which Jackson probably wasn’t expecting. Jackson swats down at him and Jones reaches for a leg, but settles for the clinch after taking a knee to the gut. They battle for position against the fence and Jones lands a nice short elbow. The action stalls in the clinch, and the crowd isn’t happy about it. They separate on their own and go to the center of the cage. Jones flicks out a few kicks to keep Rampage on the outside. Jackson tries to work his way in close and Jones grabs him in a clinch and nearly trips him to the mat. Looping hook from Jackson, then a head kick from Jones. Jones mixes up the kicks all over Jackson’s body, and Jackson has little answer for them at the moment. Jones hops up in the air but does nothing, and Jackson rushes in only to get clinched again. Big spinning head kick by Jones missed a ducking Jackson in the final ten seconds. Jackson attacks with a series of heavy, looping hooks, but Jones avoids almost all of them. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Jones.

Round 2: “Find your range!” Jackson’s boxing coach, Mark Kinney, shouted at him in the corner. He comes out for the second and catches a Jones kick before coming forward with hooks. Jones avoids them, and just gets out of the way of a big uppercut moments later. Jones lands a nice straight left and Jackson nods at him. Jackson trying to bob and weave his way in, and Jones has his chin dangerously high as he backs away from the hooks. More kicks from Jones, then he reaches for the clinch. He’s not letting Jackson work once he gets within a certain range. It’s smart, until they have to disengage. Good left hand counter by Jackson to a Jones leg kick. Jones knocks Jackson back with a spinning back kick to the body. Jackson comes forward behind a nice left hook. Less than minute left in the round now. Jones lands a left, then a straight right. He superman punches his way into a clinch and eyes the clock. With less than ten seconds, Jones pulls guard and tries a triangle, but there’s no time left to work. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Jones.

Round 3: Jones locks up a standing front headlock, then slips off and has to dodge some hooks on his way back out. Jones targeting Jackson’s legs with kicks now, then shoots for a double-leg and puts Jackson on his back. Jones easily goes from side control to full mount. He struggles to free his hands so he can drop some elbows, but Jackson’s making it tough. Jackson pushes him off and gets to his feet in the scramble, though he’s cut around his right eye. A front kick by Jones snaps into Jackson’s jaw. Jackson lunges with a hook, but hits only air. He seems to be getting slightly desperate and maybe a little winded, so Jones does a little shuffle to show how fresh he is. Jumping knee by Jones in the final minute of the round. Jones looks off to one side and then flicks out a straight left. Jones shoots in at the horn and flips Jackson over him as he walks off to his corner without looking back. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Jones.

Round 4: They touch them up to start and Jones lands a glancing blow, but Jackson wobbles backwards as if he’s badly hurt. Seems like he’s playing possum here, and Jones approaches cautiously. Jones slips off a kick attempt and Jackson comes forward, but can’t capitalize. They clinch up and Jones gets the takedown against the fence. Jackson turns and gives up his back and Jones locks up a rear naked choke. Jackson can’t do much to defend as Jones rolls him over and squeezes. He tries to fight for one of Jones’ hands, but it’s too late. He has to tap. Jon Jones has successfully defended his light heavyweight title.

Jon Jones def. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:14 of round 4

They met in the center after the stoppage and Jackson patted Jones on the shoulder. Seems like the youngster earned some respect from the veteran tonight. They shake hands as Jackson’s team attempts to see to the cut near his eye.

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Jon Jones faces Rampage Jackson at UFC 135.DENVER — This is the UFC 135 live blog for Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the main event of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the Pepsi Center.

Jones (13-1) won the belt from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March and will be making his first title defense in this fight. Jackson (32-8), who is coming off wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill, held the title previously in May 2007 through July 2008.

The live blog is below.


Round 1: A crouching Jones comes forward on his hands and knees to start the fight, which Jackson probably wasn’t expecting. Jackson swats down at him and Jones reaches for a leg, but settles for the clinch after taking a knee to the gut. They battle for position against the fence and Jones lands a nice short elbow. The action stalls in the clinch, and the crowd isn’t happy about it. They separate on their own and go to the center of the cage. Jones flicks out a few kicks to keep Rampage on the outside. Jackson tries to work his way in close and Jones grabs him in a clinch and nearly trips him to the mat. Looping hook from Jackson, then a head kick from Jones. Jones mixes up the kicks all over Jackson’s body, and Jackson has little answer for them at the moment. Jones hops up in the air but does nothing, and Jackson rushes in only to get clinched again. Big spinning head kick by Jones missed a ducking Jackson in the final ten seconds. Jackson attacks with a series of heavy, looping hooks, but Jones avoids almost all of them. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Jones.

Round 2: “Find your range!” Jackson’s boxing coach, Mark Kinney, shouted at him in the corner. He comes out for the second and catches a Jones kick before coming forward with hooks. Jones avoids them, and just gets out of the way of a big uppercut moments later. Jones lands a nice straight left and Jackson nods at him. Jackson trying to bob and weave his way in, and Jones has his chin dangerously high as he backs away from the hooks. More kicks from Jones, then he reaches for the clinch. He’s not letting Jackson work once he gets within a certain range. It’s smart, until they have to disengage. Good left hand counter by Jackson to a Jones leg kick. Jones knocks Jackson back with a spinning back kick to the body. Jackson comes forward behind a nice left hook. Less than minute left in the round now. Jones lands a left, then a straight right. He superman punches his way into a clinch and eyes the clock. With less than ten seconds, Jones pulls guard and tries a triangle, but there’s no time left to work. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Jones.

Round 3: Jones locks up a standing front headlock, then slips off and has to dodge some hooks on his way back out. Jones targeting Jackson’s legs with kicks now, then shoots for a double-leg and puts Jackson on his back. Jones easily goes from side control to full mount. He struggles to free his hands so he can drop some elbows, but Jackson’s making it tough. Jackson pushes him off and gets to his feet in the scramble, though he’s cut around his right eye. A front kick by Jones snaps into Jackson’s jaw. Jackson lunges with a hook, but hits only air. He seems to be getting slightly desperate and maybe a little winded, so Jones does a little shuffle to show how fresh he is. Jumping knee by Jones in the final minute of the round. Jones looks off to one side and then flicks out a straight left. Jones shoots in at the horn and flips Jackson over him as he walks off to his corner without looking back. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Jones.

Round 4: They touch them up to start and Jones lands a glancing blow, but Jackson wobbles backwards as if he’s badly hurt. Seems like he’s playing possum here, and Jones approaches cautiously. Jones slips off a kick attempt and Jackson comes forward, but can’t capitalize. They clinch up and Jones gets the takedown against the fence. Jackson turns and gives up his back and Jones locks up a rear naked choke. Jackson can’t do much to defend as Jones rolls him over and squeezes. He tries to fight for one of Jones’ hands, but it’s too late. He has to tap. Jon Jones has successfully defended his light heavyweight title.

Jon Jones def. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:14 of round 4

They met in the center after the stoppage and Jackson patted Jones on the shoulder. Seems like the youngster earned some respect from the veteran tonight. They shake hands as Jackson’s team attempts to see to the cut near his eye.

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UFC 135: What a Win over Matt Hughes Would Mean for Josh Koscheck

UFC welterweight and former title challenger Josh Koscheck (17-5) takes on former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (46-8) later tonight in the co-main event at UFC 135.The event will be headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones taking …

UFC welterweight and former title challenger Josh Koscheck (17-5) takes on former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (46-8) later tonight in the co-main event at UFC 135.

The event will be headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones taking on former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Hughes and Koscheck plan on stealing the show in what could be Hughes’ last time in the Octagon.

Koscheck is coming off his unanimous decision loss in his title fight versus Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124. That December bout came after Hughes’ last fight, which was a loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 123.

After accepting the fight on short notice, the 34-year-old from Waynesburg, PA, looks to get back on the winning track and goes into his fight with Hughes as a 5-to-1 favorite in some places.

With a 13-5 UFC record, Koscheck brings wins over Paul Daley, Anthony Johnson, Yoshiyuki Yoshida and Frank Trigg to the Octagon.

A win over Hughes could be the fight he needs to get back on the winning-track, but it won’t be enough to get him back in the title picture. A move to middleweight will probably be next for the former NCAA Division I wrestler, and that’s something that couple open the door to a potential fight with Anderson Silva.

The pay-per-view for tonight’s fights begins at 9 p.m. ET. Other main card bouts include Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz, Rob Broughton vs. Travis Browne and Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell.

Be sure to check out Bleacher Report for all things UFC 135. B/R is your home for MMA, from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, and post-fight analysis…which you can check out at our event hub.