Jon
Jones could not have soared any higher—a terrifying thought for
anyone who might rise to challenge him in the not-too-distant
future.
“Bones” retained the
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown in utterly
dominant fashion, as he disposed of Stipe
Miocic with a brutal spinning back kick to the body and
follow-up punches in the third round of their UFC
309 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Miocic
(20-5, 14-5 UFC) met his end 4:29 into Round 3, then announced his
retirement from the sport.
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With President-elect Donald Trump seated cageside, Jones (28-1,
22-1 UFC) tormented the Strong Style Fight Team linchpin with
rear-leg front kicks to the body, piercing jabs and thudding power
punches. He took down Miocic with breathtaking ease in the first
round and unsheathed his ground-and-pound to devastating effect.
Jones put it in cruise control from that point forward. He buckled
Miocic with a right cross in the third round, toyed with him a
little longer and then fired the fight-ending kick into his ribs. A
quick volley of punches mopped up what was left.
Afterward, Jones indicated he planned to continue on with his
career, leaving the door open to potential showdowns with interim
heavyweight champion Tom
Aspinall and reigning light heavyweight titleholder Alex
Pereira.
Meanwhile, Charles
Oliveira improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series against
three-time Bellator MMA champion Michael
Chandler with a unanimous decision in their five-round
lightweight co-main event. Scores were 49-46, 49-46 and 49-45—all
for Oliveira (35-10, 23-10 UFC), who had stopped the Missouri
native with punches in their first encounter three years ago.
The rematch was woefully one-sided for the better part of 20
minutes. Oliveira connected with punches, leg kicks and knees in
their standup exchanges but made real headway through multiple
takedowns. He progressed to full mount in the second round and cut
loose with vicious elbow-laced ground-and-pound but failed to
procure a finish. Oliveira advanced to the back in the third and
fourth rounds, secured dominant positions with body triangles and
hunted chokes. Chandler (23-9, 2-4 UFC) refused to go away, his
indomitable will shining brightly for all to see. He had Oliveira
reeling with a wicked right cross early in Round 5, slipped while
in hot pursuit, scrambled on top and pounded on the Brazilian with
elbows and punches. Oliveira eventually returned to his feet,
slipped behind the exhausted Kill Cliff Fight Club rep, dragged him
back to the canvas and bled the remaining time off the clock
despite a series of backpack slams by the American.
Oliveira, 35, has won 13 of his past 15 bouts.
Further down the card, four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and
three-time national champion Bo Nickal
cleared his highest hurdle to date, as he took a unanimous verdict
from former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder
Paul
Craig in a three-round middleweight showcase. All three
cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Nickal (7-0, 4-0 UFC).
It was not a visually appealing contest. Nickal switched stances,
let fly with overhands from both sides and conducted business
entirely on the feet. Craig had his moments—body kicks were his
most effective weapon—but lacked the speed and athleticism
necessary to deal with the blue-chip American Top Team prospect.
Nickal opened a cut near the Scotsman’s right eye with an overhand
left in the third round and kept his nose in front for the
duration.
The 36-year-old Craig has lost three fights in a row.
Elsewhere, onetime Pancrase champion Viviane
Araujo won for the second time in three appearances, as she
laid claim to a unanimous decision over Karine
Silva in a three-round women’s flyweight feature. Araujo (13-6,
7-5 UFC) swept the cards with 29-28 scores across the board.
Silva (18-5, 4-1 UFC) started strong but faded late. She had Araujo
reeling with a straight right in Round 1, then moved into clinch
range and fired of a series of knees. Silva’s efforts left her
counterpart with a badly bloody nose but failed to net the desired
stoppage. Araujo slowly turned the tide over the ensuing 10
minutes. She threatened with an armbar in the second round and
started to find a home for her punches in the third. Silva had
visible issues with fatigue in the waning moments, retreating to
the butt-scoot position on more than one occasion. It was not a
good look for the judges.
The defeat snapped Silva’s nine-fight winning streak.
Finally, Fighting Nerds upstart Mauricio
Ruffy rode sharp jabs, evasive movement and surgical power
punches to a unanimous verdict over former Fusion Fighting
Championship titleholder James
Llontop in their three-round catchweight appetizer at 165
pounds. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Ruffy (11-1,
2-0 UFC).
A late-notice replacement for Charlie
Campbell, Llontop (14-5, 0-3 UFC) kept pressing forward against
an opponent with superior firepower. Ruffy hammered him with a
right cross in the first round, blasted him with a slashing left
hook in the second and held on from there. Only Llontop’s sturdy
chin allowed him to stay upright. He engaged Ruffy at close range
in Round 3, where he scored with short-range punches and foot
stomps. His gains were minimal. Ruffy calmly circled away from
danger and maintained a relatively safe distance between himself
and the Peruvian marauder down the stretch.
Ruffy, 28, has rattled off six straight wins.