MMA Today!: April 2012

Champion Jon "Bones" Jones secured his fourth consecutive title defence against his former sparring partner in "Sugar" Rashad Evans with a Unanimous Decision victory (49-46, 49-46, 50-45).
The bout somewhat failed to live up to the pre-fight 'grudge match' label, however, various moments within the five-round bout made the sold-out Atlanta crowd 's hearts race; after a brief feeling out process, Evans landed a head kick late in the opening round, which was the first sign of the dangerous power in which Evans possessed. The following round saw Jones successfully asserting his unorthodox style of utilising his enormous 84.5inch reach and unpredictable offensive skills, which on occasions resulted in multiple elbows rocking Evans.
The confidence of the champion was briefly halted as Evans landed an over-hand right which caused Jones to momentarily retreat in the third, sadly this was the beginning of Evans's slump in momentum and fatigue, in turn allowing Jones to dictate the pace, control the centre of the octagon and pick off Evans with varied strikes. It became clear that any fighter seeking the Light-Heavyweight Belt would have to overcome the sheer reach disadvantage and find a way of closing the distance; this was something that Evans failed to achieve, the constant pressure resulted in Evans's switch into defensive mode and the lack in offence effectively cost him a chance at personal retribution.
Evans said at the post-fight press conference, “I had a great camp, but sometimes you don’t feel it. There were times in the fight when I felt like I could have done something, but I didn’t pull the trigger when I needed to. I’ll have to go back and see what I did wrong.”

In the co-main event, Welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald steam-rolled through British challenger Che Mills, with a TKO coming mid-way in the second round; the protege of Georges Saint Pierre demonstrated his well-rounded ability and extends his MMA record to 13-1.

Main Card: