Jones wins unanimous decision over Teixeira for 7th straight light heavyweight title defence

BALTIMORE - Jon Jones punished Glover Teixeira for five rounds and won a unanimous decision Saturday night at UFC 172, successfully defending his light heavyweight championship for the seventh straight time.

Jones (20-1) won 50-45 on all three scorecards and rolled to his 11th straight victory, the longest streak among active UFC fighters.

Jones had the Baltimore crowd roaring when he opened his pre-fight walk with the "squirrel" dance Ray Lewis made famous. The former Baltimore Ravens linebacker had a cageside seat and stood several times to root on Jones. Chandler Jones and Arthur Jones, his NFL-playing brothers, also attended and sat near Lewis. Arthur Jones, who plays for the Colts, was a Super Bowl champion with Lewis and the Ravens.

Often booed, the fighter nicknamed "Bones" turned Baltimore into a home-cage advantage.

Teixeira (22-3) ended a 20-bout winning streak that dates nine years.

Jones was warned twice about eye pokes in the first two rounds and was threatened to have a point deducted if he did it again. No need.

He battered and bloodied the challenger, opening a cut over Teixeira's right eye, and sending his mouthpiece flying with a hard right. Jones took down Teixeira in the final seconds of the fourth and pounded away on his face before the horn sounded.

He was in complete control in his latest dominant performance, something he vowed to do after he took a pounding the last time out against Alexander Gustafsson. Jones, one of UFC's biggest active pay-per-view draws, pinned Teixeira against the cage several times and wore him down with body shots.

Just blocks away from Camden Yards, the real heavy hitters were inside Baltimore Arena for UFC's debut in the city.

In the co-main event, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson cruised to a unanimous decision victory over former Penn State wrestler Phil Davis. Johnson fought for UFC for the first time in more than two years after he was cut once before for repeatedly failing to make weight. UFC President Dana White welcomed Johnson back with one caveat, he would never return if he failed to make weight for the Davis bout.

Johnson made weight for the 205-pound bout — and made Davis pay. He busted open Davis near his left eye with a flurry of strikes early in the first, stopped all eight takedown attempts over three rounds and won 30-27 on all three cards.

Looking at White, Johnson expressed gratitude for his second chance.

"Mr. Dana White, thank you for what you did," he said. "He's the man who changed me. He's the man who turned me into a beast!"

Earlier on the pay-per-view card, Max Halloway choked out Andre Fili in the third round and Jim Miller did the same against Yancy Medeiros in the first round. Luke Rockhold tapped out Tim Boetsch in the first round to keep UFC 172 humming along.

"It's the night of guillotines, I guess," Miller said.

With UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in her corner, Jessamyn Duke dropped a unanimous decision to Bethe Correia in the only women's bout. Rousey, perhaps UFC's biggest star, accompanied Duke to the octagon and shook her head in disgust after the scores were announced.

"I thought I had it," Duke said. "I knew it was going to be close, but I really thought the fight was mine."

Rousey coached Duke on "The Ultimate Fighter" and they train together with other female fighters known as "The Four Horsewomen." Rousey's appearance had fans standing and snapping pictures and was a highlight among the preliminary bouts.

Chris Beal opened the card with a flying right knee that connected flush on Patrick Williams' chin for a KO.

"This might have been the most perfect flying knee I've ever seen!" White tweeted


This "temporary" overnight tenting area is steadily growing beyond its original enclosure.
JONESIE: The Ballad of Billie-Jo Bennett and other Kelowna stories
  OPINION Now and again there comes a story that perfectly encapsulates a time and place. Two this week depict Kelowna in a nutshell. First, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre shared on Twitter a video of Kelown
Chef David Simenoff peaks out of his new food truck Flying Pig Barbeque in Penticton.
Slowly smoked BBQ a juicy new addition to Penticton's rail trail
Flying Pig Barbeque just opened at kilometre three on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail in Penticton, on the same site as Abandoned Rail Brewing Company, so cyclists and hikers can now pick up some juicy brisket or pulled pork, order a cold craft beer
Ras Ibatash, a priest with the Ras Freeman Foundation for the Unification of Rastafari, left, preaches to his Rastafari congregation inside their tabernacle on Sunday, May 14, 2023, in Liberta, Antigua.
Rastafari gain sacramental rights to cannabis in Antigua and Barbuda, celebrate freedom of worship
LIBERTA, Antigua (AP) — On the same ground where their enslaved ancestors were forced to plant sugar cane, Rastafari in this small island nation are now legally growing and ritualistically smoking cannabis. For Rastafari, the practice
iN PHOTOS: $15.5M Penticton mansion may be first from Canada sold by Sotheby’s New York
Sterling Manor in Penticton is being prepared for auction at Sotheby’s New York on June 14. It’s a three bedroom, five bathrooms, 6,391 square foot “modern castle” on 0.35 acres at 581 and 587 Vancouver St., above Pe

Top News