UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen Results

UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen
Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

After a video package highlighting each of tonight’s matches, we go to Pat Healy for our first fight of the night. Healy has won nine out of his last ten fights, but his opponent tonight has won nine of the last eleven putting him not too far behind. 

Pat “Bam Bam” Healy (31-15-0)
vs. Jim Miller (22-4-0)

There’s a bit of a feeling out process early on as the two opponents dance around, but things go down to the mat by the second minute, with Miller struggling to lock in an armbar. Healy looks to be in a lot of trouble, but forces down Miller’s wrist and gets free of the hold. Things don’t stay vertical for long, as Healy takes down his opponent and starts in with right hands. Miller quickly turns it around with a Kumura attempt, ending up on top, but switches to a barrage of right hands as the first round comes to an end.

The second round starts and Healy backs Miller into the cage, but they break as neither gains an advantage. They lock up in the middle of the ring and Healy gets a few knees up, and takes down Jim to the mat holding on to the legs. Miller responds by grabbing a hold of Healy’s left arm, almost locking in an armbar up against the cage. Healy struggles around to the back of his opponent and comes very close to locking in a rear naked choke, but somehow Miller rolls out of the hold, but not without taking some good shots from Bam Bam’s knee. That’s the round.

Healy bursts into the third rounds with a big uppercut and a flury of attempted punches. He tries for a low sweeping kick but losses his balance; manages to recover in time. Miller backs off but gets caught with a good right hand and stumbles backwards, allowing Healy to go down to the mat again. Neither gains a ton of momentum on the ground, but Healy is very much in control. Healy throws a few rights and lefts to the back of the head and locks in a rear naked choke, and Miller is out.

Winner: Pat “Bam Bam” Healy (sub)

After the fight, the ring announcer accidentally declares Jim Miller the winner. Healy says he’s been waiting seven years to be interviewed by Joe Rogan, and puts the division on watch.

“Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (10-1-0)
vs. Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes (11-5-0)

Davis is very aggressive in the first round with his strikes. He hits a huge kick to the side of the head, and Vinny gets rocked mostly by the impact of his own arm. Vinny catches a second kick attempt, and takes things down to the mat and gets a rear hold, but loses it and they go back to a standing base. It looks like Vinny took a thumb to the eye, but the referee says he didn’t see anything and tells them to keep fighting.

Second round starts as both men throw right hands, with Vinny getting the better of the strikes. The first three minutes stay vertical, with Davis throwing constant rights and lefts, and Vinny playing defensively. Magalhaes tries for a catch, but Davis catches the foot and trips his opponent, but they end up getting back up. Vinny with a few kicks to the mid-section, but Davis continues to fire away with non-stop jabs as the second round comes to an end.

Vinny’s coach tells him he lost the first two rounds, and must get the TKO in the next five minutes to win. The third starts with an exchange of kicks with Davis coming out on top. Vinny gets taken down but Davis lets him up – he stays on the mat and wants to take things down to the ground, but Phil wants nothing to do with that. The first four minutes are all Davis with Vinny being way too careful. He gets in a nice kick with 40 seconds left, but doesn’t follow up and lets the clock run out.

Winner: Phil Davis (UD)

 Roy “Big Country” Nelson (19-7-0)
vs. Cheick Kongo (28-7-2)

Surprisingly, Roy takes things into the cage and starts the fight with double underhooks. Two minutes in, the ref breaks them up for some reason; Joe Rogan is not happy about that. Out of nowhere, Nelson with an epic right hand, and down goes Kongo!

Winner: Roy “Big Country” Nelson (TKO)

After the fight, Nelson says you can’t teach power like that, and he knocks people out for the fans. He says he wants the gold, and challenges the winner of Velasquez/Silva at UFC 160.

Michael “The Count” Bisping (24-5-0)
vs. Alan “The Talent” Belcher (17-6-0)

The first three minutes show both guys in a fairly tentative start, dancing around each other and trying for big knockout strikes. Bisping looks like he got a thumb in the eye, but shakes it off and the match continues. The first round ends with a solid right hand from Bisping, which was the first and only real advantage of the round.

Not much going on in the second round, but Bisping is definitely more mobile. Five minutes of traded strike attempts, and nobody with any significant landings.

Again, the third round goes by with neither guy doing much of anything outside of attempting strikes. Bisping is still much quicker, and Belcher just looks slow and defensive. Joe Rogan brings up that he’s just not in the shape to fight at Bisping’s speed. Belcher shoots for the first time all fight, but gets backed up into the cage and they break back to the center of the cage. Alan gets a hard thumb to the right eye, which he’s had retinal surgery on twice. The ref calls the fight and Belcher’s eye is bleeding everywhere.

Winner: Michael “The Count” Bisping (Tech. Dec.)

A video package for the main event airs, highlighting the personal aspect of tonight’s fight between Sonnen and Jones. There’s a lot of bad blood and trash talking between both these guys.

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Jon “Bones” Jones (17-1-0)
vs. Chael Sonnen (28-12-1)

The champ is incredibly confident going into this main event fight, singing along with his entrance music, kissing his family, and doing a cartwheel as he enters the octagon.

They go to the mat as soon as the match starts, and fight their way back up with Sonnen getting rights into the mid-section of the champion. They go back down with Jones on top, nailing a big elbow to the head, but again they fight back up with Sonnen slammed against the cage. Jones tries to lift up the challenger for a suplex, but Chael holds on to his head and negates the throw. Sonnen is still up against the cage, but gets lifted up and slammed hard into the mat. Big left elbow from Jones, who continues to control the mat game. Jones goes on a rampage with right hands and Sonnen tucks to safety; the ref calls for the match and that’s it.

Winner: Jon “Bones” Jones (TKO) 

Sonnen gets up and protests the referee stoppage, but there’s nothing that can be done. Joe Rogan tries to interview the champ, and realizes his foot is broken! They sit Jones down, and the injury looks really nasty. He says his goal was to “Chael Sonnen, Chael Sonnen” and live with a “screw that” attitude. Sonnen says he has no problem with the stoppage, and calls Jones the better fighter. Joe asks him about his future, and Sonnen says he doesn’t want to stick around if there’s not a road to the gold, and believes that was his last opportunity.