Jon Jones was all smiles after thoroughly dominating Glover Teixeira for five rounds at UFC 172. You could tell in the cage shortly after the fight, sure. It wasn’t until the post-fight press conference, though, that he showed how walking-on-air deligh…
Jon Jones was all smiles after thoroughly dominating Glover Teixeira for five rounds at UFC 172. You could tell in the cage shortly after the fight, sure. It wasn’t until the post-fight press conference, though, that he showed how walking-on-air delighted he was.
After a “performance issue” with the Maryland Athletic Commission regarding his post-fight urine sample, he entered the media room, cracked jokes, laughed it up with the press, ate some potato chips with Luke Rockhold and shot the breeze.
That said, he was still a bit sore about Phil Davis’ actions over the previous week and, when asked about how his performance against Teixeira related back to his previous win over Alexander Gustafsson, Jones took the chance to take swipes at his former potential-opponent-of-the-future.
“I’m happy, I know I keep saying that…Phil Davis isn’t happy,” he said before reaching across Dana White‘s podium to high-five Davis’ opponent that night, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. “He was talking all that greasiness, and now he’s somewhere pouting.”
Ouch!
For those who didn’t see it, Davis has been throwing a lot of vitriol in the direction of Jones. At the April 21 conference call for UFC 172, Davis hijacked the happenings in order to barb Jones and rub in the controversial nature of his win over Alexander Gustafsson. Two days later, at the event’s media day, he again took shots at Jones while also dismissing Johnson.
Davis’ “uppance” came with a vengeance, though, when Johnson beat him in surprisingly lopsided fashion. While many expected Davis to bully the former welterweight with his solid wrestling, Johnson shrugged off his takedowns and roughed him up with his superior striking. Right or wrong, that has many believing that Davis wrongly looked past Johnson.
While Jones was smiley for most of the conference, he quickly got serious when asked about his next opponent, Alexander Gustafsson, whom he has been in a heated war of words with. Given Davis’ close relationship with the Swede, that likely means we haven’t seen the last exchange between the two wrestlers.
Jon Jones isn’t invincible after all.
That’s what many were saying after Swedish light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson pushed the reigning champion to his limits in their title fight back at UFC 165 in 2013.
After his five-round dismantlin…
That’s what many were saying after Swedish light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson pushed the reigning champion to his limits in their title fight back at UFC 165 in 2013.
After his five-round dismantling of Glover Teixeira at UFC 172? Well, maybe that glimmer of mortality can only be seen by those tall enough to look Jones in the eye.
In Jones’ first fight back since “The Mauler” made him look human, he looked decidedly inhuman once again. The champion utilized his range early on in the fight to open up a lead against the Brazilian challenger before closing the distance to bludgeon his opponent as the fight wore on.
By the end of the bout, the lopsided numbers spoke for themselves—Bones once again looked like one of the most unbeatable champions in the UFC.
This wasn’t a case of a fighter who didn’t deserve a shot at the belt getting his opportunity too soon, though. Teixeira was more than qualified to be involved in the five-round main event. His ability to finish fights has made him one of the most feared fighters in the division.
With a winning streak that spanned nearly eight years and six fights in the Octagon, there wasn’t much more that Teixeira could do to earn a shot at the champion other than grow an additional two inches and spawn longer arms.
For a man who boasts 13 knockout victories and six submissions, Teixeira did not look like a dangerous fighter on Saturday night. Jones dwarfed the challenger in the cage and often repelled his advances simply by placing his open hand on Teixeira’s forehead, like a schoolyard bully.
The whole spectacle served to highlight the true problem that the UFC will have in creating interesting matchups for the champion. The realistic pool of contenders who can endanger the champion is short.
As great as Teixeira is—and he is a great fighter—he never stood a chance against Jones. The way Bones is able to use his length ends many of his fights before they even start.
All of this isn’t to say that Jones is unbeatable, though. There are still a few fighters that have the potential to end the champion’s reign, with the most obvious being the man who has already taken him to the limit: Gustafsson.
Jones wasn’t willing to talk about the Swede in the post-fight press conference:
Fortunately for inquiring minds, Dana White was, and he stated that Gustafsson will fight Jones next and that the fight could take place in hostile territory for the champion:
Walking away from UFC 172, Jones took a step toward growing his legacy to the stature of Anderson Silva and George St-Pierre. He’s to the point where even the most qualified of contenders won’t have anything to offer him in the Octagon.
But that doesn’t mean his title reign won’t be without exciting challenges, though. With Gustafsson on the horizon, beatdowns like the one Jones delivered against Teixeira aren’t likely to become the norm.
Luke Rockhold scored a big win at UFC 172 when he submitted Tim Boetsch in the first round. Now, though, he is looking back for his next opponent. Speaking at the UFC 172 post-fight press conference, Rockhold called out former UFC light heavyweigh…
Luke Rockhold scored a big win at UFC 172 when he submitted Tim Boetsch in the first round. Now, though, he is looking back for his next opponent. Speaking at the UFC 172 post-fight press conference, Rockhold called out former UFC light heavyweight champion (and one of his former opponents) VitorBelfort.
“I want to redeem myself,” he said when asked why he would want to face off with Belfort. “I want to earn my title shot and beating Belfort is…the most honorable way to do it.”
For those who don’t remember, Belfort and Rockhold faced off back at UFC on FX 8 in May 2013. Belfort pressed the action early, and it paid off quickly as he landed a spin kick to Rockhold‘s head. That ended an impressive nine-fight winning streak for Rockhold and sucked all the wind out of his title contender status as Strikeforce’s final champion.
“He caught me at the right time, at a transition point,” he said, referencing a relatively long layoff from the cage that resulted from the closure of Strikeforce. “He came out with something he’s never done before…I don’t think it told the whole tale of me and him…I know I can beat the guy.”
However, as time went on, Belfort‘s win over Rockhold (as well as his win over Michael Bisping) became tainted by the overwhelming opposition to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). TRT is a medical treatment that allowed fighters to use synthetic testosterone (basically steroids). Belfort became the poster boy for abuse of the treatment, given his previous failed drug test for an anabolic steroid and his ballooning physique since starting therapy.
Belfort currently finds himself in an awkward position, though, as he was stripped of a UFC 163 title shot opposite Chris Weidman. He was replaced by LyotoMachida, who will now face Weidman at UFC 165.
Whether or not Belfort will choose to wait for the winner of that fight, and whether he will even have that option, remains a mystery at this time. As such, it is difficult to peg whether or not Rockhold will be able to get the rematch he is looking for anytime in the near future.
UFC 172 promised to deliver an intriguing batch of fights to a live audience at Baltimore Arena, and it did just that.
From an impressive title defense from light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones to the emergence of a familiar face as a new…
UFC 172 promised to deliver an intriguing batch of fights to a live audience at Baltimore Arena, and it did just that.
From an impressive title defense from light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones to the emergence of a familiar face as a new contender to that title, the card certainly delivered.
Here’s a look at how each of the fights turned out on Saturday night and what to expect from the winners going forward.
Jon Jones Defends Title Yet Again
The main event of the evening was everything fans of the champion thought it would be. Jones took advantage of his massive reach advantage from the outset of the fight and slowly broke down his latest challenger from there.
The champion’s domination was so distinct that the judges awarded him all five rounds on their cards as he picked up the unanimous decision.
He even made a little history, according to Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie:
There’s not much to take away from this fight that we didn’t already know. If Jones is paired against a fighter who can’t contend with his size advantage, that challenger doesn’t stand much of a chance.
Glover Teixeira deserved to fight Jones. The UFC can only ignore what he did in the Octagon for so long. However, it only served to put off the fight that everyone wants to see, and that’s a rematch between Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.
The lanky Swede took Jones to a close decision in their first bout, and there’s no doubt that fans will be pushing Dana White to make the fight again.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson Makes Statement in UFC Return
Gustafsson probably deserves the next shot at the light heavyweight title, but Anthony “Rumble” Johnson might be knocking at the door after UFC 172. He looked better than ever in his return to the UFC against Phil Davis in the night’s co-main event.
Rumble proved that his six-fight win streak he accrued since being cut by the UFC is no fluke. He looked as comfortable as ever stalking down Davis in his first bout in the organization since moving to light heavyweight and also got the nod from all three judges:
Johnson’s emergence muddies the waters a bit in the light heavyweight division. Ranked just No. 14 heading into the fight, according to the UFC’s rankings, it’s clear that he belongs much higher on the list. The question now becomes who should be next for the suddenly rising contender.
After watching Johnson struggle to find his natural weight class in his first run at the UFC, his emergence as a top fighter at 205 was among the top storylines of Saturday night.
Luke Rockhold Proves He’s Still an Elite Middleweight
Speaking of fighters earning some redemption on Saturday night, Luke Rockhold looked superb in his second fight since losing his UFC debut to VitorBelfort. He submitted longtime middleweight stalwart Tim Boetsch via inverted triangle kimura in the first round.
As for what’s next for the former Strikeforce star? Well, he wasn’t shy about letting White and Co. know exactly who he’d like to see across the cage from him next time out.
As long as he continues to deliver exciting finishes like the one he had against Boetsch, the UFC won’t have any issues in keeping Rockhold happy. His place as a legitimate threat to anyone in the middleweight division was sealed with this victory.
Jim Miller Does What He Does Best—Submit Opponents
Jim Miller entered his bout with Yancy Medeiros with 12 submission victories to his name. So it wasn’t a stunner when the 30-year-old was able to lock in a guillotine just 3:18 into the first round.
Especially for Miller, who explained that the submission is always something he’s looking for:
Miller didn’t waste any time letting UFC brass know who he wanted to see next either. He called out multiple fighters, and Donald Cerrone was one of them.
With a historic knack for finishing fights on the ground, Miller managed to keep himself in the lightweight title picture for at least another fight.
Max Holloway Opens the Night With a Submission
Max Holloway opened up the main card action with one of the best scraps of the night as he submitted Andre Fili via guillotine in the third round. As Brett Okamoto noted, the showing was really impressive from both fighters, though:
At just 22 years old, Holloway showed the tenacity and composure of a grizzled veteran as the small underdog against Fili. That’s what fighting the likes of Dustin Poirier, Dennis Bermudez and ConorMcGregor before you’re 22 will do for you.
While many young fighters will assume they are ahead on the cards in a close fight, Holloway admitted he thought he was behind and became more aggressive in the final frame to assure victory.
With the featherweight division constantly in need of challengers this was a big win for Holloway. He now has a legitimate case to take on a top-15 fighter in his next bout and is well on his way to cashing in on the massive potential he’s shown to this point.
Jon Jones successfully defended the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in Baltimore on Saturday night.
Jones won the fight on all three scorecards. He dominated the fight in each and every round, dictating …
Jon Jones successfully defended the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in Baltimore on Saturday night.
Jones won the fight on all three scorecards. He dominated the fight in each and every round, dictating where the action would happen. Teixeira was a game opponent, but he did not have the ability to truly threaten the champion’s reign at the top of the division.
The UFC main event got the world of Twitter going, and here is how the Twittersphere responded to the action.
Pre-Fight
Round 1
Jones showed no qualms about fighting inside. He was happy to exchange within Teixeira’s striking distance. Unfortunately for the challenger, he was unable to muster much offense. The champion controlled the fight in close.
Round 2
It was more of the same from the champion. When he wanted to establish distance he did, and when he wanted to fight in close he would. Jones got to show off his defense too. He covered up nicely when Teixeira had spots to score offense.
Round 3
The wear was starting to show on Teixeira by the third round. That will happen when the champion continues to land strikes. Teixeira simply had no answers for how to put Jones in trouble.
Round 4
Slicing elbows opened up cuts on Teixeira. Jones landed them repeatedly against the fence. Teixeira was a game fighter, and that is about all that can be said about this performance. He stayed in there and tried to fight, but Jones was simply better.
Round 5
Put another round in the books for Jones. A clean sweep. He was never in danger of losing this fight. A dominating performance by the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
Post-Fight
Jones won going away, and now a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson looms. That will be a highly anticipated fight when the UFC schedules it for later this year.
UFC 172 was a really, really fun event. It had three-round barnburners alongside slick, quick submissions. The UFC brass had a tall order deciding who to give a little extra money to Saturday night.
So who ended up with a bonus check? Find out right he…
UFC 172 was a really, really fun event. It had three-round barnburners alongside slick, quick submissions. The UFC brass had a tall order deciding who to give a little extra money to Saturday night.
So who ended up with a bonus check? Find out right here!
Performance of the Night: Joseph Benavidez
Tim Elliott made it exciting early. He chased Joseph Benavidez around, got him into weird, awkward positions on the ground and looked pretty damn good in the process. Then Benavidez said “enough of that.”
Benavidez got mount, trapped both of Elliott’s arms and sunk in a guillotine choke that had his hairy opponent kicking because he couldn’t tap with his hands. It was crazy, shocking and pretty damn scary.
Performance of the Night: Chris Beal
The The Ultimate Fighter 18 competitor got the night started off right. After a back-and-forth first round that can only be labeled as “explosive,” Chris Beal spotted how Patrick Williams kept ducking into strikes against the cage. So what did he do? Only one of the prettiest flying knees you’ll see in MMA.
The knee knocked Williams out cold and earned him a big check for his efforts. It’s the first UFC win for a TUF18 competitor since the show’s finale (Julianna Pena and David Grant have both withdrawn from bouts due to injury, and Raquel Pennington lost to Jessica Andrade).
Fight of Night: TakanoriGomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
On a night of impressive finishes, TakanoriGomi and Isaac Vallie-Flagg wound up getting the Fight of the Night award. Gomi has always been known and beloved his swing-for-the-fences style, and it was on full display in Baltimore. While he seemed to tire very, very early on in the fight, Gomi displayed both heart and inimitable veteran savvy.
Vallie-Flagg, for his part, weathered a serious storm and a broken orbital bone to survive to the judges’ decision. Still, the bout was almost all Gomi, and man, it was a fun one.
Jon Jones was all smiles after thoroughly dominating Glover Teixeira for five rounds at UFC 172. You could tell in the cage shortly after the fight, sure. It wasn’t until the post-fight press conference, though, that he showed how walking-on-air delighted he was.