In the main event of UFC 159, Jon Jones (18-1) tied the record for most UFC LIght Heavyweight title defenses by finishing Chael Sonnen (27-13-1) in the closing seconds of round 1 despite having suffered a nasty fracture of his big toe. The 205 lb. champ upped his UFC record to 12-1 with the win, while the Chael fell to 5-4 in his most recent UFC run.
As expected, Sonnen came out aggressively pursuing the takedown. Also as expected, Jones was having none of it. Repeatedly in under five minutes Jones tossed Sonnen to the ground and was completely undeterred by the challangers’ offense. In the last 30 seconds of the fight, Jones unleashed hellacious ground strikes to get the TKO with only 16 seconds left on the clock.
It turned out to be incredibly fortunate for Jones that he finished the fight when he did. Neither he nor the viewers noticed during the action that he’d suffered a compound fracture in his big toe while defending a Sonnen takedown. Had the bout gone on, Jones would have lost the fight due to doctor’s stoppage.
What was the high point of the fight?
There were two in this fight. First was Jones getting the stoppage with some of the most devastating ground and pound in recent memory. Second, was when they showed the broken toe during the post-fight interview. Like Jones or not, you have to respect him for getting past that injury.
Where do they go from here?
Before he does anything else, it’s time for Jones to head to physical therapy to rehabilitate that toe. After that, Jones will have a choice to make regarding whether he wants a super fight vs. Middleweight champ Anderson Silva or to face the next Light Heavyweight contender.
Retirement is a really possibility for Sonnen following this brutal loss. The last two and a half years will undoubtedly be the peak of his MMA career and he’s not likely to be able to repeat the level of notoriety he gained in that time.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Despite the fight being an obvious mismatch, it’s still worth watching. It went down at a frenetic pace and the finish was great. Go check it out and make sure you keep an eye out for the injury.