In 2022, when people talk about the early years of Jones’ reign, they won’t remember his title defenses against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson or Lyoto Machida. Even the grudge match against Rashad Evans will be a distant memory.
When talking about the building blocks of Jones’ legacy, last night’s fight with Vitor Belfort will take center stage.
Fighting for the first time since his DUI, fighting for then first time since being blamed for the cancellation of UFC 151, Jones was masterful. Early in the first round, Belfort cinched in an armbar that would have submitted most men.
Jones’ arm was hyperextended. A look of pain was shown on his face. He refused to give up.
“I actually was waiting for it to break,” Jones said to Joe Rogan after his fourth-round submission win at UFC 152 in Toronto. “I was not gonna tap out.”
Jones powered out somehow. With one good arm over the rest of the fight, Jones dominated Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champion. He elbowed him repeatedly on the ground, opening up a nasty cut near Belfort’s eye. He picked him apart on his feet.
In the third round, Belfort, a knockout artist with some of the fastest hands ever in the UFC, doubled over in pain after a side kick to the body. The Brazilian, hurt badly multiple times, pulled guard multiple times throughout the fight.
Jones finished it early in the fourth, getting side control and forcing the jiu-jitsu black belt to tap with an americana arm lock. Belfort said he felt his arm cracking and popping. It was fitting that after Jones recovered from Belfort’s armbar that it was another arm submission that finished things. Jones showed up to the press conference afterward with a soft cast and his arm in a sling.
For all of Jones’ dominance, there was something missing. Even before the DUI and the refusal to face Chael Sonnen at UFC 151, that connection with fans was absent.
Honestly, it’s hard for a regular joe to relate to a 25-year-old millionaire with movie star looks, charisma and fighting skills so evolved that he routinely makes former champions look like the guy throwing punches at the bar down the street.
What fans can relate to is adversity. For the first time in his young, sterling career, Jones had some of that. In spades.
He overcame. He persevered.
Jones keeps talking about his building his brand, his legacy. Words weren’t needed Saturday night.
*
Belfort is way tougher than most people give him credit for. He took some vicious elbows from Jones, hung in after a nasty body kick in the third round doubled him over and apparently fought the entire fight with a broken hand. There isn’t much negative you can say about Belfort, though it was odd seeing someone that good at boxing want to take things to the ground so much that he was pulling guard. After the first-round near-armbar, maybe he thought he could catch Jones in another submission.
*
Demetrious Johnson beat Joe Benavidez in a fast-paced, action-packed five-round fight for the first UFC flyweight title. Somehow, the fans in Toronto booed them at times. That didn’t make UFC president Dana White very happy.
“If you didn't like that flyweight fight, please, I'm begging you, don't ever buy another UFC pay-per-view again,” White said in the post-fight press conference. “Don't ever buy another one. I don't want your money. You’re a moron, you don't like fighting and you don't appreciate great talent or heart if you didn't like that flyweight fight."
He’s right. Anyone who didn’t enjoy that back-and-forth war is not a true MMA fan. There was technique, there was speed. Johnson’s skill set is incredible and he deserved to beat Benavidez, who had a nasty cut open up by his right eye via a knee.
I’d pay to watch these two guys fight at every event. It makes no sense to me why the crowd was booing. That fight had me on the edge of my seat.
*
Michael Bisping is very good at winning UFC fights by decision. He’s a volume puncher on the feet with great technique. His wrestling has improved exponentially, making it one of his biggest strengths. His grappling on the ground is also well above average. His cardio is some of the best in the UFC.
What Bisping doesn’t do is dominate. Brian Stann won the first round against him Saturday night, but got tired. Bisping didn’t and outpointed him in the second and third rounds. Stann was never in any kind of danger – not even as much as Bisping was in the first when Stann rocked him.
Bisping is an upper-tier middleweight for sure. He’s a good draw with excellent trash talk and great charisma. But there’s no chance he pushes Anderson Silva in a title fight. At this point, Chris Weidman sems to be much more deserving at this point for a matchup with the pound-for-pound king.
*
Matt Hamill and Roger Hollett should not have been on the main card. Hamill had not fought in a year coming back from retirement. Hollett had never fought in the UFC and looked flatout awful. Hamill, who won a three-round decision, gassed in the first and Hollett had a deer-in-the-headlights look from start to finish. That was tough to watch.
*
Charles Oliveira is such an enigma. Uber-talented at 22 years old with great standup and explosive submissions, he just can’t seem to get on a roll. Cub Swanson blasted him with a liver punch in the first round and finished him with an overhand right to the face. Oliveira took a long time to get up afterward. Back to the drawing board for “Do Bronx.”
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