Jon Jones successfully defended his light-heavyweight title against Anthony Smith at UFC 235 tonight with a dominant display, though he never came close to finding a finish.
Round One:
The light-heavyweight championship headliner is underway in Las Vegas!
Front kick feeling out from Jones. Leg kick for Smith. Solid leg kick this time from the challenger. Jones thinks a bout a knee, but aborts half-way through.
Inside leg kick for Smith. Two big looping strikes from Jones miss – a little wild there. However, a spinning back kick to the body lands with a smack.
Axe kick attempt from Jones. Hard leg kick for Smith. Another overhand from Jones misses. Jones lands the spinning back kick to the midsection for a second time.
Head kick for Smith, but Jones catches his limb and then drives the challenger into the cage looking for a takedown. Smith staying upright for now though. Jones landing some aggressive shoulder strikes and then backs up.
Left hand for Jones that’s blocked. Smith trying to threaten with the left hook, but not finding the mark for now. Good side kick to the body from Jones. Head kick attempt from him, but it’s blocked.
Another side kick to the body from Jones. Now a leg kick and that’s the final action of the round.
Round Two:
Jones works the jab and then the left hook without landing. Body kick for Jones and then an oblique kick. JOnes looking to punch, but Smith counters nicely.
Good strike lands for Jones and Smith starts to back up. Jones work rate increasing now as he starts to build momentum. A good spinning elbow lands for him and then he goes into the clinch against the cage.
They seperate. Right hand over the top from Smith. He lands to the body and appears to the graze the head as well with another nice a attack.
Front kick to the body from Jones and then an oblique kick followed by one upstairs. Smith lands a punch. Smith connects with a kick.
Jones just misses with a front kick to the head. Hard punch for Jones and Smith backs up a little hurt by that.
left hand gets through for Smith. Hard straight right for Jones. Smith throwing a right hand too in response. Solid leg kick from Jones.
Head kick attempt for the champ is blocked. He punches to the body now. Jones feeling with punches to the head and body then swoops in for a takedown, but Smith stays upright as the round ends.
Round Three:
Nice right hand gets through for Jones to start the third, set up by the jaab. Another right hand. Front kick just misses.
Jones in on a takedown attempt, lands a knee instead to the body and then clinches up against the cage. Jones with knees to the thighs. He continues to land those.
Smith doing a good job of preventing Jones from working for a takedown her, but not getting anything off offensively himself.
Jones lands punches to the body. Quicky Jones goes for a double leg and dumps Smith to the mat. Smith scrambles to his knees quickly.
Jones postured over him though and leaning heavy on the challenger. Smith moved over to the cage now, hunched up against the cage and Jones lands some hard knees to the legs. Now punches to the thigh from Jones.
Final seconds of the round and Smith tries to come up with a single leg attempt, but there’s not enough time for that.
Round Four:
Jones with a flying side kick, but it lands to the leg. Beautiful spinning back kick to the body from Jones. Smith covering up more as Jones throws big elbow at him.
Smith smiles, but he’s not coming up with an answer here. Flying knee to the head from Jones connects and then another strike behind it. He’s toying with him now as he easily trips him to the mat. He landed a kick there as Smith was grounded, but the referee didn’t react.
There’s a bit of a stalemate as Jones stands over him, but then goes down and Smith gets to his knees turtled with blood leaking from his nose as Jones hangs over him.
Smith back up and Jones brings him back down. Jones landing some hard punches to the head here as Smith remains turtled on his knees.
Big knee to the body from Jones and then another. Smith gets his back to the cage. Jones landing a knee to the body. Final 10 seconds of the round and Jones lands a big knee to the head – and that’s illegal! The ref stops it and asks for a replay, which confirms it was an illegal blow.
Anthony Smith could say he can’t continue if he wanted to and get a DQ award, but he has no intention of doing so and says he’s ok to continue. However, referee Herb Dean does penalize Jones two points.
Round Five:
Jones circles Smith to start and starts pumping his jab. Right hgand for Smith just whistles past Jones head.
Jones looking to get something going here as he fires off the right hand again. Jones in on a takedown, but Smith does well to sprawl on that.
Jones lands to the lower leg of Smith. Another connects. Lead elbow from Jones as he gets into the clinch against the cage. Now he lands a knee to the leg. Now punches to the thigh.
Repeated knees to the inner thigh from Jones. Two minutes of the fight remaining. Jones tries to bundle Smith to the mat, but it doesn’t pay off and he goes back to the clinch.
90 seconds. Jones in no immediate hurry here to find a finish. Shoulder strikes from Jones. Now foot stomps. Back to the shoulder strikes.
Final 10 seconds and Jones backs up, gets amped up and then throws a flying knee to the head, but Smith takes it ok and this one is going to a decision.
Decision:
So there we have it, Jones just had way too much in the locker for ‘Lionheart’ but wasn’t able to put him away and so he’ll settle for a dominant unanimous decision victory (48-44 x3).
