Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson had a lot to say about the hype behind UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones heading into Sunday’s UFC 135 class. Rampage had described Jones as “cocky” leading into the bout and claimed he had not fought anyone to warrant the praise he was receiving.
After 16 minutes and 14 seconds of being picked apart, battered and then finally submitted by Jones, Rampage changed his tune.
It was a masterful performance by Jones, who kept the fight at a distance with a variety of kicks that pretty much nullified Rampage’s boxing centric game.
It’s a credit to Rampage that he was able to stuff a lot of Jones’ takedowns; a feat that vaunted wrestlers like Ryan Bader, Matt Hamill and Vladimir Matyushenko were unable accomplish.
However, all it did was prolong the inevitable. A clearly frustrated Rampage was finally taken down in the fourth round and submitted by rear naked choke without much resistance.
To put the win in perspective, this was the first time Rampage was stopped since 2005 and the first time he was submitted since 2001.
Jones’ performance was much more measured than his shellacking of Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in March but it was equally as freakish. He made Rampage look silly on a number of occasions and didn’t give him a sniff at all.
I have my doubts that his next opponent, Rashad Evans, will have any more success considering Evans could probably make middleweight if he tried but I’m still excited to see it.
Both Jones and Evans are probably looking forward to the bout too after their friendship fell apart earlier this year after Jones replaced him to challenge Rua for the title.
On the Australasian front, adopted Kiwis Mark Hunt and James Te Huna were both successful against their opponents.
Hunt defeated “Big” Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision in a gruelling, and at times hard to watch, heavyweight battle.
The ‘Super Samoan’ was in trouble in the first as Rothwell scored a takedown and quickly achieved mount but Hunt was able to get back to his feet.
Shortly thereafter, Rothwell’s gas tank hit empty while at altitude. The thin air of Denver, Colorado and the punishment Hunt was beginning to deal out took its toll on Rothwell to startling effect, as the six foot five beast began to stumble around the cage in zombie like fashion.
Hunt took over the fight and easily sealed the last two rounds to claim a decision victory.
James Te Huna kicked off the card in brutal fashion as he stopped Ricardo Romero with punches in just 47 seconds. It was clear from the outset that Romero wanted the fight on the ground and it was also clear that he wasn’t very adept at doing so.
He ducked his head and rushed in wildly for a takedown only to be met by a Te Huna uppercut that dropped him. Romero briefly recovered only to attempt the same thing a few seconds later where he was again dropped and pounded out.
In the night’s co-main event, Josh Koscheck essentially retired UFC Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes with an emphatic knockout at 4:59 of round 1.
Koscheck took a few minutes to get going as Hughes did his best to keep the memories of Koscheck’s ill-fated title tilt against Georges St. Pierre fresh in his mind. Once Koscheck found his rhythm though it was pretty much all over though.
Hughes ended up on his back after finding himself off balance in a scramble and Koscheck seized on the opportunity by landing some thudding ground and pound that put the former welterweight champion out cold with just one second to spare in the round.
That makes two straight losses for Hughes, who preferred the term ‘shelved’ as opposed to ‘retired’ in his post-fight interview.
Regardless of the terminology, that fight will most likely be the last of his career. He finishes up tied with Tito Ortiz for the most UFC fights in the company’s history with 25.
Nate Diaz kicked off the pay-per-view card with a flawless performance against faded former PRIDE lightweight champion, Takanori Gomi.
Diaz nabbed the lucrative $75,000 ‘Submission of the Night’ bonus with a slick armbar finish. In the night’s other main card bout, rising heavyweight, Travis Browne scored a dismal unanimous decision over Brit, Rob Broughton.
Attendance: 16,344
$75,000 Bonuses:
KO of the Night: Josh Koscheck
Submission of the Night: Nate Diaz
Fight of the Night: Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson
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