Though Jon Jones (black trunks) was frustrated by seeming to just miss Lyoto Machida (red trunks) for the majority of their UFC 140 bout, he pulled through and capitalized on the opportunities he was presented with to retain his light heavyweight crown. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
As Dana White said in the post-fight press conference, the trend for 2011 has been ending events asking how the next card will measure up, and then watching that next event blow the previous one out of the water. Such was the case with UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida. The card kicked off with a bang when “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (12-3) ended “The Machine” Mark Hominick’s (19-9) night in seven seconds with just one punch. Coming behind the featherweight showdown, emerging welterweights Brian Ebersole (45-14-1) and “Prince” Claude Patrick (14-2) fought back and forth to a razor thin Split Decision in a fight that showed all aspects of mixed martial arts. Next on the card, renamed former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “The People’s Champion” Tito Ortiz (16-10-1) brought the heat to “Little Nog” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5) before having the flames doused by a brutal series of short hooks from the younger Nogueira brother. In the co-main event, “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1) out-boxed fellow former champ Frank Mir (16-5) before having victory snatched from him courtesy of a vicious submission reversal that saw Mir severely damage Nogueira’s arm. Finally, at the end of the night, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) successfully defended his title against the last man to defend the belt, “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (17-3). The fans came out the big winners again, as they have in almost every Pay-Per-View event in 2011, but for the fighters, there are always The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Continue reading »
