Anaheim, Calif. -- Jon Jones is once again the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion of the world.
Returning to the Octagon for the first time after a yearlong suspension, Jones recorded his first stoppage since 2013, finishing rival Daniel Cormier in the UFC 214 main event. The knockout came at 3:01 of the third round, as Jones put together a picturesque sequence that began with a head kick and ended with a series of unanswered punches on the ground.
“This is my moment,” offered Jones following the fight. “This is the start to a new career, a new championship. And I feel like I want to be a better champion than I was in the past, so I feel like a new champion. This is my time to start all over and to be a better champion and be the champion that the fans deserve.”
Fighting for the second time, Jones and Cormier previously met in January 2015, with the former taking a unanimous decision. In the years since, booking the rematch came with its share of difficulty, but Jones delivered, taking home a Performance of the Night bonus.
The fight was competitive early on, as Jones opened up with a bevvy of kicks, attacking Cormier’s body and legs. However, Cormier found his form late in the first round, stunning Jones with strikes in the clinch.
Just as close as the first round was the second. Cormier pressured throughout while eating Jones’ kicks. Jones did land strikes from range and knees in the clinch, keeping the bout even, when an eye poke, from Jones to Cormier, forced a brief pause.
Returning to action, Cormier continued to press. And when Jones failed to bring Cormier to the ground, “DC” taunted “Bones” with a waive of his finger. The gesture did little to delay the inevitable.
“I heard Daniel say things like he wanted to show me right away that the two years will affect me and that I’m not meant to be here,” explained Jones. “We knew there wasn’t gonna be a feeling out process. We knew there wasn’t gonna be time for ring rust. We knew we were gonna have to get straight to business, and that’s what happened ... we expected to finish Daniel Cormier.”
With the fight even after two rounds, Jones remained calm in the third, while Cormier threw and landed kicks and punches. And just when it seemed that Jones would cede the round, he unleashed a precise left kick that landed on Cormier’s jaw.
Wobbled, Cormier back pedaled to avoid further damage, but Jones sensed the finish was near, pressing forward landing a follow-up kick to the body, and a second to the legs that tripped Cormier, who kept fighting on instinct.
Jones’ next move was a jumping kick that sent Cormier to the mat. Once on the ground, Jones threw more than nine unanswered elbows and punches before referee John McCarthy waived off the bout.
Now 2-0 against Cormier, Jones has won 14 straight bouts dating back to 2009, and concluded the evening by calling out former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
UFC 214 Official Results
- Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier via knockout (head kick and punches) R3, 3:01
- Tyron Woodley def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
- Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger via TKO (knee and punches) R3, 1:56
- Robbie Lawler def. Cowboy Cerrone via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Volkan Oezdemir def. Jimi Manuwa via KO (punches) R1, 0:42
- Ricardo Lamas def. Jason Knight via TKO (punches) R1, 4:34
- Aljamain Sterling def. Renan Barao via unanimous (29-28, 29-27, 30-26)
- Brian Ortega def. Renato Moicano via submission (guillotine choke) R3, 2:59
- Calvin Kattar def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexandra Albu def. Kailin Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jared Brooks def. Eric Shelton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Drew Dober def. Josh Burkman via KO (punch) R1, 3:04