JONES RETAINS 205lbs CROWN OVER CORMIER VIA UD IN UFC 182 MAIN EVENT

The latest high stakes rivalry to be settled inside the Octagon took place tonight as UFC title holder and #1 ranked “Pound for Pound” standout, Jon “Bones” Jones (21-1), met previously undefeated fighter Daniel Cormier (15-1) in the main event of UFC 182 from inside the MGM Grand Arena to headline the first PPV of 2015. On the line were bragging rights, unbeaten streaks and above all, the coveted UFC light heavyweight title.

A fast paced ensued as both men wasted no time coming at each other with bad intentions. A leg kick by Cormier was caught by jones who used it to rip the leg out from under his man then drive him to the canvas. Jones looked for a second take down but this time Cormier stuffed it which prompted a “Cormier” chant from the crowd. Jones then kept the fight at his distance by picking his man apart from the outside with low leg kicks, jabs and over hand rights. In the 2nd round Cormier found his range by getting inside the champ’s chest throwing short punches as well as body shots. The Louisiana native used the clinch to close the distance temporarily taking the height and reach away from Jones who looked to land a high left kick every time the two warriors separated.

Going into the 3rd round Jones returned the match back to where he needed it using his legs to mount a smarter offensive to keep his man at bay. They traded failed take down attempts following an inadvertent eye poke from Jones to Cormier. The challenger of course did not take but seconds to tell referee Herb Dean that he was fine. The former Strikeforce Grand Prix champion was able to land some leg kicks of his own then his jab which allowed him to get in on the inside again and go to work. His dirty boxing really gave Jones fits temporarily shifting the momentum of the battle.

In the 4th round Jon Jones took his man down twice in the first 2 minutes with ease. A feat rarely accomplished by any man in Cormier”s past bouts since he had never been taken down at any point of his UFC career before tonight, where the take downs from Jones seemed to come more now as the championship round developed. The 2004 & 2008 member of the US Olympic Team seemed visibly tired due to the fast pace therefore he slowed down for the second half of the 4th round. The New Yorker pushed on strong landing some more leg kicks as well as hooks and overhand rights, mixing in some short elbows on the inside.

Heading into the 5th round Cormier clearly needed a finish to win the match but found himself defending Jones’ take down attempts for the majority of the round. Boos rained down as the rabid MMA fans in attendance that had been spoiled by 20 minutes of action now had to endure both men pummeling for position along the cage wall for the first 3 minutes. Cormier finally secured a solid take down lifting Jones off of his feet driving him to the mat as Jon temporarily grabbed the top of the Octagon to slow down the take down. Nevertheless, the champion returned to his feet quickly landing a few more shots to end the round even as the final bell rung with Cormier throwing back heat that almost hit referee Herb Dean.

The unanimous decision loss is the first defeat in Daniel Cormier’s professional career and is the first time he loses a title bid. Scores of 49-46 from all judges reflect how “Bones” Jones now notches an 8th title defense making him the leader in active defenses surpassing Jose Aldo who has 7. It also elevates his record UFC title run which is now 3 more than the record set by jacob “Tito” Ortiz about 10 years ago at 5 successful bids. The sky is the limit for the enigma that is Jon Jones with a run in the Octagon that continues to seem impossible to ever be forgotten.

COWBOY CERRONE HANDS JURY HIS FIRST OCTAGON LOSS

In the co-main event of the evening WEC veteran, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (26-6-1) took on the previously undefeated Myles “Fury” Jury (15-1). Jury was first introduced to UFC fans as a member of The Ultimate Fighter season 15 so his ascension to co-main of a major PPV was a long time coming. Jury managed to take Cerrone down seconds into the 1st round but Cerrone defended the attack locking in an omaplata submission which he used to then take side control. From there, the former WEC title challenger took his man’s back locking in a body triangle searching for a rear naked choke about halfway into the round. He kept that position for the remainder of the stanza before exploding into an armbar as the 10 seconds bell hit but Jury survived the attack.

Jury again went for a take down seconds into the 2nd stanza this time but Cerrone avoided this time sprawling alertly. Both men traded leg kicks to the body and head keeping the fight at a tight distance for the bulk of round 2. The clear dictator thought was Cerrone who constantly came forward at all times.

The fight took the same look and feel in the 3rd round with Jury looking to land some take downs but had all of them stuffed by his Colorado opponent. As “Cowboy”Cerrone walked him down stepping to his opponent’s right which made Jury step allot more to his own left. This paid off for Cerrone as he used this strategy to walk his man into a hard right high kick that had sweat flying off of the side of Jury’s head as it connected on his face. From there, “Cowboy” walked his opponent down with more leg kicks before avoiding another Jury take down with less than a minute to go, using it to plant his man on the canvas. Jury stayed in his guard while Cerrone kicked away at his shins or thighs until the round ended.

The unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27 from all 3 judges, starts off Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on the right foot for his 2015 title campaign.

TAVARES OUT WORKS FORMER CHAMPION MARQUARDT FOR UNANIMOUS DECISION TRIUMPH

The Ultimate Fighter season 11 cast member, Brad Tavares (12-4) clashed with former Strikeforce welterweight champion, Nate “The Great” Marquardt (36-13-2). Both middleweights stayed on the outside wanting to land big shots. They did ironically in the 1st round as first Marquardt landed a front kick to the face of his man with about 2 minutes left which Tavares handled very well then shortly after, Tavares landed a leg kick to the face of Marquardt. Tavares got some swelling going to the lead leg of Marquardt and continued that success for the following round. “The Great” Marquardt returned fire with some leg kicks of his own before attempting a take down but his Hawaiian foe tossed him to the mat using a reversal.

Tavares kept his composure for the final round avoiding unnecessary exchanges as he picked

HORIGUCHI TAKES UNANIMOUS VERDICT OVER GAUDINOT

Kyoji Horiguchi (15-1) was riding an 8-fight winning streak coming into his bout opposite The Ultimate Fighter season 14’s Louis Gaudinot (6-4, 1 NC). Horiguchi maintained a disciplined pace throughout the bout as he controlled distance picking his shots from the outside for the majority of the fight. The Japanese stand out used leg kicks behind 1-2 combinations to keep his man at bay. If he wasn’t landing up top with his hands the Tokyo flyweight was landing with head kicks or body kicks repeatedly in the 2nd and 3rd stanzas.

The only dangerous moment of the fight for him came when off of the clinch, Gaudinot locked up an arm triangle but couldn’t finish the submission attempt. Horiguchi closed the round in style with a lighting fast take down planting Gaudinot on the mat shortly before the round ended. Heading into the 3rd round Horiguchi effortlessly maintained the bout at his range snapping more leg kicks to his foe’s body prior to giving him a feint then landing a nice strike to the head of the TUF14 alum. Once again off of the clinch the New Jersey native went for a submission, this time jumping guard fishing for a guillotine. Again, Horiguchi avoided any trouble popping his head out of the submission.
The Japanese fighter showcased his ever improving boxing by landing a 4-punch combination before the round ended as he cruised to a decision win.

With the victory Kyoji Horiguchi improves his streak to 9 straight defeating Louis Gaudinot via unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. More than likely a title shot looms in the future for Horiguchi against flyweight king, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

LOMBARD BREAKS DOWN RETURNING VETERAN BURKMAN FOR POINTS TRIUMPH

Kicking off the UFC 182 main card was former Bellator middleweight champion, Hector Lombard (35-4-1, 1 NC) welcoming seasoned cage veteran Josh Burkman (28-11) back to the Octagon. The American Top Team member stalked Burkman for the bulk of the 1st round using straight rights or left hooks as well as leg kicks to damage his foe. Burkman countered with kicks to the mid section and right hooks over the top before giving up ground. With about 90 seconds left the Olympic judoka charged at his man with a powerful 4-punch comb which Burkman countered with a solid body shot.

Going into the 2nd round Lombard walked his foe down with some powerful strikes as the Utah native covered up eating multiple right hooks and straight left hand punches. Besides an occasional counter left in the pocket, Burkman’s offense was totally shut down by Lombard who pressed on with little regard for his foe’s fire power.

Heading into the 3rd round Burkman attempted a take down but it was stuffed then he was driven to the canvas by the Cuban who got top control before going to side control. Burkman got the fight back standing with roughly 3 minutes left but absorbed some hard leg kicks for his troubles thus he started moving with a noticeable limp. The former middleweight king stepped on the gas landing a crisp 4-punch combination on his foe as Burkman’s head snapped back from a fierce uppercut. Lombard peppered his opponent with a few more punches upstairs before landing a couple of leg kids as the round came to a close.

With the win, Hector Lombard continues moving up the UFC rankings setting his sight on the winner of the welterweight title bout trilogy later this year between champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Johny Hendricks.

By: Armando Romo junior
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