UFC 145: Jones Shuts Down Evans and Keeps the Crown
Jon Jones retained the UFC light heavyweight championship against Rashad Evans at UFC 145 on April 21, 2012. Their five-round main event at Philips Arena in Atlanta ended in a unanimous decision for Jones, resolving the championship contest between former training partners.
Jones wins the five-round test
Evans entered with his own experience as a former UFC champion, but Jones completed the scheduled distance and kept the belt. The result added another established titleholder to the list of opponents beaten during Jones’s championship run.
The main event’s full twenty-five minutes contrasted with several quick finishes elsewhere on the card. Rory MacDonald stopped Che Mills in the second round of their welterweight co-main event, extending his winning streak to three and delivering another important performance against UFC opposition.
MacDonald, Rothwell and McDonald make their mark
Ben Rothwell finished Brendan Schaub in just seventy seconds. At bantamweight, Michael McDonald knocked out former WEC champion Miguel Torres in the first round. Those victories gave two different divisions emphatic results before the title fight reached the judges.
Eddie Yagin defeated Mark Hominick by split decision in a featherweight contest that earned Fight of the Night honors. On the preliminary card, Travis Browne submitted Chad Griggs with an opening-round arm-triangle choke, while Matt Brown beat Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision. UFC 145 therefore paired a successful championship defense with a supporting cast of breakthroughs, upsets and rapid finishes. Jones remained the light heavyweight champion, and several other winners left Atlanta with fresh momentum.
Sources
- View the official UFC 145 event archive on UFC.com.
- UFC: Jones–Evans main-event report
- ufc.com: atlanta flashback ufc 145
Article Tags
UFC 145, UFC history, MMA
