Jon Jones is the best fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. The people who dislike him will disagree, but that doesn't make the statement any less true. At first glance, Jones' unanimous-decision win over Daniel Cormier on Saturday in Las Vegas at UFC 182 won't look like one of the champ's greatest performances.
With further examination and perspective, the win can be fully appreciated.
Not only did Jones beat an excellent fighter and hand him his first loss, but he beat Cormier at his own game and did something to him that had never been done before.
When Jones secured the first-ever successful takedown against Cormier in the first round, it was an eye-popping moment. Not only did he complete the takedown, but he actually made it look kind of easy.
Even more impressive was Jones' two takedowns of Cormier in the fourth round. It seemed as if that was the point when Bones broke his rival's will. Cormier looked tired and almost resigned to accept defeat.
Bleacher Report's Jeremy Botter offered insult to Cormier's injury:
Looks like Jones was right all of those years ago when he told DC he could take him down.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) January 4, 2015
For Jones to produce such a sparkling performance in such an emotional fight shows a portion of his greatness. Love him or hate him, if you're an MMA fan, you should appreciate the fact that you get to watch the GOAT perform in his prime.
Here's a look at every result from the night's action. Just beneath the table is a breakdown of two other memorable moments from UFC 182.
| UFC Fight Pass Prelims | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Alexis Dufresne vs. Marion Reneau | Women's Bantamweight | Reneau by unanimous decision (30-26x2, 30-25) |
| Omari Akhmedov vs. Mats Nilsson | Welterweight | Akhmedov by unanimous decision (29-28x3) |
| Fox Sports 1 Prelims | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Evan Dunham vs. Rodrigo Damm | Lightweight | Dunham by unanimous decision (30-27x3) |
| Shawn Jordan vs. Jared Cannonier | Heavyweight | Jordan by first-round TKO |
| Marcus Brimage vs. Cody Garbrandt | Bantamweight | Garbrandt by third-round KO |
| Danny Castillo vs. Paul Felder | Lightweight | Felder by second-round KO |
| Main Card PPV | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Hectord Lombard vs. Josh Burkman | Welterweight | Lombard by unanimous decision (30-27x2, 29-28) |
| Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Louis Gaudinot | Flyweight | Horiguchi by unanimous deceision (30-27x2, 29-28) |
| Brad Tavares vs. Nate Marquardt | Middleweight | Tavares by unanimous decision (30-27x3) |
UFC.com
Cody Garbrandt's Last-Second Stoppage
By my estimation, Marcus Brimage was headed for a decision victory over Cody Garbrandt before he got too adventurous in the final 30 seconds of the third round.
Garbrandt caught Brimage with a hard right hand that sent the Bama Beast to the mat. Brimage scrambled to his feet, but he looked out of it. Garbrandt kept the pressure on and ultimately forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight with just 10 seconds left.
UFC Insiders has a look at the punch that started the problems for Brimage:
Cody Garbrandt unleashing some pain on Brimage https://t.co/H4GtNS7a0l #UFC182
— UFC Insiders (@UFCInsiders) January 4, 2015
You can understand Brimage's aggression to a point because the fight was fairly close. That said, he had been rocked earlier by a hard shot from Garbrandt. Brimage stayed in the pocket too long, took too many chances and paid the price.
Paul Felder's Spin to Win
For only the third time in UFC history, per Michael Carroll of FightMetric, a fighter finished his opponent with a spinning backfist.
Paul Felder earns the 3rd spinning backfist knockout in UFC history (Carter, Makdessi).
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) January 4, 2015
Paul Felder decimated Danny "Last Call" Castillo in the second round with the whirling strike. Here's a look at the shot, per Vicio MMA:
WHAT A KO, BABY !!!!! Paul Felder derrotou Danny Castillo por KO - Round 3, 2:09 #UFC182 #MMA https://t.co/4FT4NtBNAH
— Vicio MMA (@VicioMMA) January 4, 2015
The shot didn't exactly come out of nowhere. Felder had been dismantling Castillo for the entire first round and all of the second before he dropped him.
It was only the second fight of Felder's UFC career, but on the strength of his performance on Saturday night, he might be one of the best newcomers in the promotion.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
