MMA Fighting - UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen Resultshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52789/mma_minimal_navy..jpg2013-04-28T00:44:08-04:00http://www.mmafighting.com/rss/stream/40406832013-04-28T00:44:08-04:002013-04-28T00:44:08-04:00UFC 159: Jones wins by TKO, Sonnen may retire
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>NEWARK, NJ -- <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight/2337/ufc-159-jon-jones-vs-chael-sonnen">Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen</a> was an awkward rivalry, one that came from the ether and left in similarly strange circumstances. <br><br>How did it end? With a Jones win in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a> main event, as expected, but what about the swerves? There was the champ taking the challenger's expected route to victory, a disputed stoppage by the referee, a Jones' injury and Sonnen seeming to announce his retirement.</p>
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<p><br>First came first. As Jones put it, "I wanted to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122570/chael-sonnen">Chael Sonnen</a>, Chael Sonnen." The champ came out with a high-pressure, grinding offense, moving forward, initiating clinches, and taking down the challenger three times in less than a round. The last of those led to the finish, as Jones was able to stack Sonnen against the fence, where he unleashed with elbows and punches from half-guard. At 4:33 of the round, with Sonnen covering up, referee Keith Peterson decided he had seen enough, and called a halt to the action, giving Jones a TKO win and record-tying fifth light-heavyweight title defense.<br><br>Just as soon as Peterson pulled Jones away, Sonnen got to his feet in protest of the stoppage. <br><br>Minutes later, Sonnen took the high road.<br><br>"He's an excellent fighter," he said in the cage to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/191801/joe-rogan">Joe Rogan</a>. "I have no problem with the decision of that stoppage. He's very powerful. He went for the kill and never stopped. I thought I was alright, but he's the better fighter."<br><br>Just moments before Sonnen (27-13-1) graciously handled the defeat, Jones had spoken to Rogan and suddenly realized that he'd suffered an injury, a broken toe that was mangled off to the side. <br><br>Jones was able to give his post-fight interview, but was clearly in pain. It was unclear if the injury happened during the fight or during his post-fight celebration, which included a somersault. If it was the former, it is likely that he would not have been able to fight on if he hadn't finished. <br><br>"I was just glad to beat Chael Sonnen," said Jones (18-1). "He's an awesome opponent. We went through a lot of drama and he motivated me a lot."<br><br>Sonnen seemed to indicate that he might have competed for the last time. The 15-year veteran has long said he would hang up his gloves if he could no longer compete for the title, and after losing to Jones, he's 0-3 in UFC championship bouts over two weight classes.<br><br>"I'm going to think it through," he said. "I'm not going to be one of the guys who hangs around if he doesn't have a road to the title. I believe that was my last opportunity."</p>
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<p>Jones came into the fight as a prohibitive favorite, one of the largest in UFC championship fights in recent years. The line got above -1000 on some online betting sites, setting expectations for a one-sided mauling. It came, but while the result was predictable, it came accompanied by surprises.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/28/4276326/ufc-159-results-jon-jones-wins-via-1st-round-tko-chael-sonnenMike Chiappetta2013-04-28T00:02:02-04:002013-04-28T00:02:02-04:00UFC 159 results: Bisping defeats Belcher
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>NEWARK, NJ -- In his biggest fight to date, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/129560/alan-belcher">Alan Belcher</a> came up flat. Against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122551/michael-bisping">Michael Bisping</a>, that will almost never do. The quick and conditioned Brit usually overwhelms with activity, and that's essentially the formula he used to take control of his <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a> co-main event matchup.</p>
<p>It was all going his way until a late eye poke stopped the fight before the final bell. As per the unified rules, due to the unintentional but illegal strike, the fight goes to the judges' cards, and Bisping was awarded a unanimous technical decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.</p>
<p>Bisping is now 24-5. Belcher has lost two in a row, and is now 18-8.</p>
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<p>Bisping was throwing a sweeping left hook when his fingers raked across Belcher's right eye. Belcher immediately went down, holding his eye while ref Herb Dean stopped the fight to bring in the cageside doctor, who called a halt to the action. Belcher had blood streaming from near his right eye after the incident.</p>
<p>The right eye was the same one that required emergency surgery back in 2010, a procedure that briefly threatened his career.</p>
<p>Bisping apologized for the foul, but attributed the win to his overall fitness level and desire to get back into the win column. He had been knocked out by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122550/vitor-belfort">Vitor Belfort</a> in his last fight.</p>
<p>"I started getting into my rhythm. I'm hungry," he said. "This is a dream come true. I'm living the dream. That's why I fight this hard."</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/28/4276398/ufc-159-results-michael-bisping-defeats-alan-belcher-by-technicalMike Chiappetta2013-04-27T23:25:41-04:002013-04-27T23:25:41-04:00UFC 159 results: Nelson knocks out Kongo
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>NEWARK, NJ -- For <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/123062/roy-nelson">Roy Nelson</a>, it's feast or famine. He either scores the knockout shot or loses a decision, as evidenced by his recent record.</p>
<p>His last nine wins are by knockout. His last five losses have all gone to a decision.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122493/cheick-kongo">Cheick Kongo</a> is unlucky No. 10. Nelson caught the French fighter with a crushing overhand right, and finished him off with a single ground strike to win a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a> main card bout.</p>
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<p>The stoppage came at 2:03 of the first round.</p>
<p>"All I do is set them up and knock them down," he said. "I want that gold."</p>
<p>Nelson (19-7) won his third straight, following wins over <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122496/matt-mitrione">Matt Mitrione</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/129821/dave-herman">Dave Herman</a>.</p>
<p>Kongo never got his offense going. Earlier in the round, Nelson backed him against the cage where they clinched until being broken apart by the ref. It was only a few seconds later when Nelson dropped the hammer.</p>
<p>Kongo lost for the second time in three fights. He's now 18-8-2.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/27/4276404/ufc-159-results-kongo-nelsonMike Chiappetta2013-04-27T23:10:06-04:002013-04-27T23:10:06-04:00UFC 159: Phil Davis beats up Vinny Magalhaes
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>NEWARK, NJ -- The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a> fight between <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122509/phil-davis">Phil Davis</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/130160/vinny-magalhaes">Vinny Magalhaes</a> never made sense from a matchmaking context. Davis is still an improving long-term prospect, only once-beaten, while Magalhaes washed out of the UFC in his first tenure and was making his return after a decent run on the international scene.<br><br>The match only came about because Magalhaes willed it into existence, goading Davis with insults and trash talk, until Davis accepted and the UFC agreed to schedule it. <br><br>But few thought the matchup would be competitive, and Davis went off as a strong favorite. It turned out just as most expected, as Davis avoided Magalhaes' vaunted ground game and struck his way to a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 unanimous decision.</p>
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<p><br>"You know I've been working a lot of things for this fight," he said afterward. "There was. a lot of back and forth before the fight, and all I can say is thanks to Vinny for helping me elevate my game."<br><br>Davis out-landed Magalhaes 105-49 according to stats provided by the UFC. Davis had his best moments in the first, even hurting Magalhaes with a head kick. He kept the pressure on Magalhaes by consistently moving forward, and Magalhaes couldn't get the action where he wanted it, with the exception of a few seconds in the first when he took Davis down and tried to get his back. Davis worked free and back to his feet, and that was the last danger he faced all night.<br><br>Davis is now 11-1 with 1 no contest while Magalhaes' six-fight win streak was snapped, dropping his record to 10-6 with 1 no contest.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/27/4276414/ufc-159-results-phil-davis-out-strikes-vinny-magalhaes-in-decision-winMike Chiappetta2013-04-27T22:41:50-04:002013-04-27T22:41:50-04:00UFC 159 results: Healy chokes out Miller
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>NEWARK, NJ -- <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/129518/pat-healy">Pat Healy</a> was twice supposed to fight for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/promotion/strikeforce">Strikeforce</a> lightweight championship, but injuries kept champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122538/gilbert-melendez">Gilbert Melendez</a> out of those fights, and Healy never got to fight for the gold.</p>
<p>Prior to his octagon return at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a> -- he lost fight in the UFC in 2006 --, Healy said that he viewed his fight with the No. 4 ranked Miller in just the same way. And Healy put on a championship performance, finishing with a rear naked choke at 4:03 of the third round.</p>
<p>The official result was a technical submission, since Miller refused to tap out.</p>
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<p>"I knew if I got him in a good spot, he wouldn't tap," said Healy (30-16), who won his seventh straight. "He's one of the toughest and to be honest, one of my favorite fighters. It was an honor to be fighting him."</p>
<p>The fight was gritty and technical and grinding. <br><br>Miller (22-5) came close to ending it in the closing seconds of the first with powerful right hands from half-guard. Healy was probably saved by the bell, as he was slow and staggered in rising to his feet at the end of the round. But showing the trademark toughness that have marked his recent run, Healy collected himself and used his wrestling and ground work to get back into the fight in the second, and steal it in the third.</p>
<p>Afterward, he sent a few words to the rest of the division.</p>
<p>"All the 155ers out there, I'm putting you on blast," he said.</p>
<p>With his victory over the respected Miller, his message came even before he said the words.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/27/4276420/ufc-159-results-pat-healy-chokes-out-jim-miller-calls-out-rest-ofMike Chiappetta2013-04-27T21:28:22-04:002013-04-27T21:28:22-04:00UFC 159 results: Eye poke factors into OSP win
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>NEWARK, NJ -- Light-heavyweights <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/127162/ovince-st-preux">Ovince St. Preux</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/129032/gian-villante">Gian Villante</a> were working their way towards an uneventful three-rounder when the bizarre broke out at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a>.</p>
<p>A sudden eye poke gave way to an even more sudden finish, leading to St. Preux being awarded a majority technical decision by scores of 30-28, 30-29 and 29-29.</p>
<p>The eye poke came 33 seconds into the final round as St. Preux was throwing the back end of a combination, a right cross, but his hand was open and a finger appeared to catch Villante in his left eye.</p>
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<p>Villante put his hand up and went to a knee, indicating he'd been poked, and St. Preux backed off. Referee Kevin Mulhall then quickly asked him if he could see. Villante said no, and Mulhall waived off the fight. By rule, referees do not have to offer fighters recovery time for eye pokes, but often do.</p>
<p>Villante quickly objected to the ruling, but Mulhall stuck to his call, determining it to be an accidental foul. Because it was not intentional, the winner was determined by the judges' scorecards, and St-Preux edged out the win.</p>
<p>"I don’t understand how you score thirty seconds of a round and that’s how I lost?" Villante said afterward. "We were just getting going and I got poked in the eye. I don’t know what to say."</p>
<p>Earlier in the fight, St. Preux staggered Villante with a first round hook. St. Preux seemed to tire in the second, allowing Villante to work his way back into the fight until the sudden ending.</p>
<p>St. Preux improved to 13-5, while Villante dropped to 10-4. Both fighters had been making their UFC debuts after coming over from Strikeforce.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/27/4276930/ufc-159-results-ovince-st-preux-wins-controversial-majority-technicalMike Chiappetta2013-04-27T20:56:28-04:002013-04-27T20:56:28-04:00UFC 159 results: McMann debuts with TKO over Gaff
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>NEWARK, NJ -- Tossing her hat into the ring of women's bantamweight contenders, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/157149/sara-mcmann">Sara McMann</a> showed off her wrestling chops and then closed with ground strikes, efficiently dispatching <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/173589/sheila-gaff">Sheila Gaff</a> via first-round technical knockout in a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a> prelim bout.</p>
<p>After action stalled on the ground after McMann's first takedown, the pair restarted and McMann took her down again. She quickly trapped Gaff in a mounted crucifix and hammered down right hands from the top position until referee Gaspar Oliver determined that Gaff had enough.</p>
<p>The stoppage came at 4:06.</p>
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<p>McMann, who was an Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medalist in 2004, is considered by many to have the raw tools to challenge champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/131295/ronda-rousey">Ronda Rousey</a>, herself a former Olympic medalist, though in judo.</p>
<p>McMann said that all week, she had prepared herself for the debut by telling herself it was no different than competing in a wrestling world championship.</p>
<p>"That helped me deal with my nervousness and the size of the crowd," she said. The win improved her record to 7-0, with four wins by stoppage.</p>
<p>Gaff (10-5-1) has a reputation for fearsome standpoint, but McMann never gave her the space to get her offensive rhythm, and once the American found her dominant position, the fight was over.</p>
<p>"I was trying to get some elbows in there, too," she said. "My coaches are always telling me to throw more elbows because they're so brutal, but I didn't have the right range. I just thought if I keep executing, she can't roll through and they're going to stop it."</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/27/4276860/ufc-159-results-sara-mcmann-debuts-with-tko-of-sheila-gaffMike Chiappetta2013-04-27T09:09:03-04:002013-04-27T09:09:03-04:00UFC 159 breakdown: Jones vs. Sonnen
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p>How do you do something no one else has been able to do? If you're <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122570/chael-sonnen">Chael Sonnen</a>, that is the championship question. There is as of yet no blueprint for beating <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122514/jon-jones">Jon Jones</a>, unless you count letting him take you down and hit you in the face so many times that he gives into frustration and elbows you illegally, causing himself a disqualification, and yourself some stitches. But beating him in any meaningful, sporting way? It's never been done. He's never been out-struck in a bout, never been taken down, faced only a few fleeting moments of true adversity.<br><br>He's proven his ability to take a punch, he's seemed to master fighting at distance and within the clinch, and he's simply overwhelmed opponents on the ground. What else is there?<br><br>To answer this, I enlisted a member of Sonnen's training team, as well as one of his longtime friends, the health, conditioning and dieting guru <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/131235/mike-dolce">Mike Dolce</a>.<br><br>Dolce has worked with Sonnen since 2004, when he was hired as the strength coach at Team Quest. He's been with Sonnen through the highs and lows, and has as good a read on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/113677/ufc-159-jones-vs-sonnen">UFC 159</a> title challenger as anyone.<br><br>"Chael wins the fight with pressure," he said. "Chael's going to be in better shape. He's going to have more pressure, more intensity. He’s a move-forward guy. Jon's not. Jon likes to counter. Chael doesn't counter. It's going to be a lot of moving forward. It’s going to be an ugly fistfight in a phone booth. That’s the way he beats Jon Jones."</p>
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<p><br>It's a theory, but whether it has any practical application remains to be seen. Jones, after all, has only been to a decision once in title bouts, when he went the distance with <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122510/rashad-evans">Rashad Evans</a>. In that fight, stamina seemed to be no issue for him. While it's true that Evans does not use the same relenting pressure that Sonnen is known for, Jones still had his highest-output round in the fifth and final round, when he pumped out 53 strike attempts. In addition, he's also finished <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122513/quinton-jackson">Quinton Jackson</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122550/vitor-belfort">Vitor Belfort</a> in the fourth, illustrating that he still holds on to his firepower as the fight progresses.<br><br>The biggest problem with the Sonnen theory is that there are not many variables in it. As Dolce acknowledges, Sonnen (27-12-1) has a straight-forward style. He comes at you, gets in your face, tries to take you down. There is not much variation to this theme. He lives and dies by it.<br><br>That is duly noted by Jones, as he explained when I asked him why he thought Sonnen had never been able to get over the hump to win a championship. <br><br>"He hasn't evolved much," he said, before launching into a lengthy answer about Sonnen's predictability. Jones, you see, is a committed tape-watcher. He's an observer who likes to pick up habits and preferences. In that way, his mind is as big a weapon as his much-discussed 84.5-inch reach. And he certainly believes he has Sonnen figured out.<br><br>"He’s been fighting that same exact style for so long, same way," he said. "When he shoots his head goes to the same side, when he grounds and pounds, he usually likes passing guard to the same side. He’s susceptible to the same submissions. He jabs the same way, he crosses the same way, he hooks the same. It’s all been the same for years. I don’t understand how he’s so successful with it. I’m not going to allow that to happen to me, to know what he has and still allow it to work on me."</p>
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<p>It is Jones' blend of athleticism and intelligence that has the fight considered to be lopsided in the first place. Jones (17-1) is a 10-to-1 favorite. Statistically speaking, he does nearly everything better than Sonnen. He lands more strikes per minute (3.92 vs. 3.24), lands at a higher percentage (52 percent to 44 percent), has a slight edge in offensive takedown percentage (64 percent to 60) and while Jones has never been taken down in his career, Sonnen has a 71 percent takedown defense percentage.<br><br>The big problem when it comes to forecasting a Sonnen win, past everything we've mentioned, is that he'll have to do it in a systematic way, racking up rounds. For all of his bluster, Sonnen is not a big finisher. In his last seven wins, he has only one stoppage, by way of submission. He has been able to take rounds off <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122568/anderson-silva">Anderson Silva</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122551/michael-bisping">Michael Bisping</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122563/yushin-okami">Yushin Okami</a> and others by controlling them on the ground. That does not seem like a good bet against Jones, who in his UFC career has only lost two rounds total, one to Evans and one to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/127151/stephan-bonnar">Stephan Bonnar</a> in his second pro fight. <br><br>In essence, Sonnen, the biggest underdog Jones has yet to face, is being asked to do something 12 previous opponents over 31 rounds of action have been unable to do. He is being asked to win three rounds out of five.<br><br>Unlike Jones' last opponent Vitor Belfort, who like Sonnen, was a sizable underdog, Sonnen does not have knockout power. He'll have to do it one strike at a time (against a more accurate striker), one takedown at a time (against a fighter who has never had his back to the mat). It all seems so inconceivable. <br><br>Saturday night, we either get exactly what we're expecting or the shock of the year. I know which one I'm predicting. Jones is too young, too strong, too well-prepared for Sonnen's upset formula. He'll finish in either the second or third round, likely by submission.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/27/4270456/ufc-159-main-event-breakdown-jon-jones-vs-chael-sonnenMike Chiappetta