Last night at UFC 128 history was made as Jon “Bones” Jones(pictured left with Joe Rogan) became the youngest fighter in UFC to win a belt. He defeated former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at the 2:37 mark of the third round, the win was filed as a technical knockout(TKO).
In a interview after the fight, Jones had the following to say, “It feels so good, It’s a testament that dreams do come true. Believe in yourself, and once you get there, don’t slow down. It comes true, everybody. It means a lot to me, but now I know I have a huge target on my back,” Jones said. “And when you guys come and strike at me, I’ll be ready to strike right back.“
When asked what his strategy was going in to the fight Rua answered, “The strategy was to fight him anywhere the fight would go, I have to congratulate him. He was better than me. He is a very tough guy, and he showed great muay Thai and ground work. He is the man.“
After the fight, another former champion Rahad Evans stepped in the ring and had the following to say about his training partner and new champion, “Well, I guess you should never say never, right? We train together, but he’s got that strap, and I have to go after it.”
Jones echoed what Evans said, “We are teammates, and it sucks that we’re going to have to do this, but this is my dream,” he said. “This is everything I believe in. I have to do exactly what I have to do.”
Stats from the fight courtesy of FightMetric
| Stats | Jones | Rua |
|---|---|---|
| Strikes Landed | 102 | 11 |
| Strikes Attempted | 142 | 42 |
| Strike Accuracy | 72% | 26% |
Other results from the UFC 128 Card
MAIN CARD:
Urijah Faber def. Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision//Jim Miller def. Kamal Shalorus via third-round TKO//Nate Marquardt def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision//Brendan Schaub def. Mirko Cro Cop via third-round TKO
UNDER CARD:
Luiz Cane def. Eliot Marshall via first-round TKO//Edson Barboza def. Anthony Njokuani via unanimous decision//Mike Pyle def. Ricardo Almeida via unanimous decision//Gleison Tibau def. Kurt Pellegrino via split decision//Joseph Benavidez def. Ian Loveland via unanimous decision//Nick Catone def. Constantinos Philippou via unanimous decision//Erik Koch def. Raphael Assuncao via first-round KO