UFC 145

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:

• Lightweight bout:  Mark Bocek vs.  John Alessio

Bocek defeated Alessio via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

• Featherweight bout:  Mark Hominick vs.  Eddie Yagin

Yagin defeated Hominick via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

• Bantamweight bout:  Miguel Torres vs.  Michael McDonald

McDonald defeated Torres via KO (punches) at 3:18 of round 1.

• Heavyweight bout:  Brendan Schaub vs.  Ben Rothwell

Rothwell defeated Schaub via KO (punches) at 1:10 of round 1.

• Welterweight bout:  Rory MacDonald vs.  Che Mills

MacDonald defeated Mills via TKO (punches) at 2:20 of round 2.

• Light Heavyweight Championship bout:  Jon Jones (c) vs.  Rashad Evans

      Jones defeated Evans via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)

Preliminary Card:

• Featherweight bout:  Marcus Brimage vs.  Maximo Blanco

Brimage defeated Blanco via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28).

• Welterweight bout:  Keith Wisniewski vs.  Chris Clements

Clements defeated Wisniewski via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27).

• Lightweight bout:  Mac Danzig vs.  Efrain Escudero

Danzig defeated Escudero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

• Catchweight (158 lb) bout:  John Makdessi vs.  Anthony Njokuani

Njokuani defeated Makdessi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

• Welterweight bout:  Matt Brown vs.  Stephen Thompson

Brown defeated Thompson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 30-27).

• Heavyweight bout:  Travis Browne vs.  Chad Griggs

Browne defeated Griggs via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:29 of round 1.

UFC 144 Results & Analysis

The UFC's made it's return to Japan in the Saitama Super Arena, which saw Benson "Smooth" Henderson crowned the new UFC Lightweight Champion, after earning a unanimous decision victory (49-46, 48-47, 49-46) over former champ Frankie Edgar.
During the early rounds, it was clear to say Edgar employed a similar game plan as used in past title defences such as, Maynard and B.J Penn. Where by, his skilled footwork, constant movement and change of angles would earn him the victory, however, Henderson's pure size and strength advantage simply proved too much for the much smaller ex-champ.
Edgar's training with Muay Thai master Phil Nurse allowed him to catch the majority of Henderson's kicks but were ineffective in preventing damage being caused; the thrilling five-round bout saw wild techniques being displayed, including a scizzor kick, jumping knee and a front side kick, all from the Taekwondo black belt Henderson.
The highlight of round two came in the final seconds of the round, as a Edgar takedown led to Henderson rocking Edgar with a up-kick, using the full force of the heel and causing great damage, which became a influential factor in the judges decision, as the greater volume of punches were landed by Edgar, however, the majority of damage was inflicted by Henderson, which was evident during and after the fight, as Edgar had a badly swollen eye, damaged nose and multiple cuts under his left eye.
The bout was not as one sided as the scorecards may show, as large parts of the action was back and forth with both fighters achieving takedowns but were unable to remain control of the other. In addition, each fighter landed significant strikes during the bout with the full arsenal of their striking being demonstrated but in the end, the bout was judged on the octagon control and damage caused to the opponent.

In the Co-Main Event, Ryan Bader spoilt Rampage Jackson's return to Japan, as the TUF winner managed to earn a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Although Rampage did showcase his former glory at Pride with a trademark slam.

Main card

• Lightweight bout:  Anthony Pettis vs.  Joe Lauzon

Pettis defeated Lauzon via KO (head kick & punches) at 1:21 of round 1.

• Featherweight bout:  Hatsu Hioki vs.  Bart Palaszewski

Hioki defeated Palazewski via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28).

• Middleweight bout:  Yushin Okami vs.  Tim Boetsch

Boetsch defeated Okami via TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 3.

• Welterweight bout:  Yoshihiro Akiyama vs.  Jake Shields

Shields defeated Akiyama via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

• Heavyweight bout:  Mark Hunt vs.  Cheick Kongo

Hunt defeated Kongo via TKO (punches) at 2:11 of round 1.

• Catchweight (211 lb) bout:  Quinton Jackson vs.  Ryan Bader

Bader defeated Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

• Lightweight Championship bout:  Frankie Edgar (c) vs.  Ben Henderson

Henderson defeated Edgar via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46).

Preliminary card 

• Featherweight bout:  Zhang Tiequan vs.  Issei Tamura

Tamura defeated Zhang via KO (punch) at 0:32 of round 2.

• Bantamweight bout:  Takeya Mizugaki vs.  Chris Cariaso

Cariaso defeated Mizugaki via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

• Middleweight bout:  Riki Fukuda vs.  Steve Cantwell

Fukuda defeated Cantwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).

• Bantamweight bout:  Norifumi Yamamoto vs.  Vaughan Lee

Lee defeated Yamamoto via submission (armbar) at 4:29 of round 1.

• Lightweight bout:  Takanori Gomi vs.  Eiji Mitsuoka

Gomi defeated Mitsuoka via TKO (punches) at 2:21 of round 2.