The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to The Forum in Inglewood, California tonight for UFC 232: “Jones vs Gustafsson 2.” The event, despite a venue change, featured a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship rematch between Jon “Bones” Jones and Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino defended against 135-pound titleholder Amanda “Lioness” Nunes. “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit battled “Maverick” Michael Chiesa at 170. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the main card.
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Jon “Bones” Jones vs Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson
Round 1:
Gustafsson threw kicks to begin the fight and time was called after he was kneed in the groin. Action resumed soon after and the fighters traded jabs. Jones began to land leg kicks of his own and Gustafsson responded with a knee to the ribs. He flurried with punches, but Jones landed a knee in return and he followed with more kicks to Gustafsson’s lead leg. A lead elbow and a front kick landed for Jones, and he went high with a kick soon after. Gustafsson fought off a takedown attempt and landed uppercuts and knees on the break. He jumped in with a Superman Punch and a four-punch combo, then clipped Jones with an overhand right to the temple. The competitive round ended with Jones landing a body kick. 10-9 Jones.
Round 2:
Jones continued to attack Gustafsson’s leg and body with kicks in the second round, but Gustafsson used a guillotine choke to fend off a takedown attempt. He jabbed and threw one-twos as Jones remained content to kick in return. Time was called after Jones was poked in the eye. The fight continued and Gustafsson landed a solid combination. Jones scored with more leg kicks and Gustafsson missed with a spinning elbow. He remained the aggressor with jabs and one-twos, but Jones hurt him with a counter leg kick. Another leg kick landed for Jones and Gustafsson began to limp. Jones threw punch-kick combos late in the round and Gustafsson winced as he walked to his corner after the bell. 10-9 Jones.
Round 3:
Jones took Gustafsson down in round three and threw short punches from half-guard. He moved to side control and continued to strike with elbows until Gustaffson was forced to give up his back. Jones flattened him out and landed unanswered punches until referee Mike Beltran intervened to wave off the fight.
Winner: Jon Jones by TKO (Punches) at 2:02 of round three. He improves to 23-1-0, 1 NC and becomes the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship
Amanda “Lioness” Nunes vs Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino
Round 1:
Big power punches were exchanged right away and Nunes hurt Justino with a leg kick, right hook combo. She dropped Justino to a knee soon after, but Justino recovered and regained her footing and the fighters continued to trade heavy shots. Nunes wobbled Justino again with a combination and a counter right hook. She connected with three more hooks that dropped Justino to a knee again. Justino stood and was sent careening to the canvas by a final overhand right. Incredible performance from Nunes.
Winner: Amanda Nunes by KO (Punch) at 0:51 of round one. She improves to 17-4-0 and becomes the new UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion.
“Maverick” Michael Chiesa vs “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit
Round 1:
Condit fought off early trip attempts from Chiesa, but Chiesa eventually got him down and Condit tried to roll and scramble. Chiesa took partial back control and briefly looked for a Twister, but Condit spun free and the fight returned to the feet. Chiesa secured another takedown soon after and the fighters exchanged elbows on the ground. Condit locked on an armbar from the bottom and extended Chiesa’s right arm, but Chiesa managed to pull his arm free and he took Condit down after a brief clinch on the feet. Condit scrambled and rolled for a heel hook, then switched to an inverted triangle choke before time expired. Close round. 10-9 Condit due to the late rally.
Round 2:
Chiesa took Condit down early in the second round and he worked for a kimura from the top while pinning Condit against the base of the cage. Chiesa wrenched back on Condit’s arm, seemingly damaging his shoulder in the process, and Condit was forced to submit.
Winner: Michael Chiesa by Submission (Kimura) at 0:56 of round two. He improves to 15-4-0.
Corey “Overtime” Anderson vs Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi
Round 1:
Latifi struck first with a hard kick that buckled Anderson’s lead leg. Anderson threw a flying knee and Latifi countered with a takedown attempt. He stunned Anderson with a right hand, but Anderson recovered and time was called to replace his mouthpiece. Anderson landed three body kicks and Latifi fired back with a flurry. He followed with another leg kick and Anderson responded with a left hook. Both men landed power punches and Anderson fought off a takedown attempt. The close round ended with Latifi landing three punches. 10-9 Latifi.
Round 2:
Anderson opened round two with a pair of lead left hooks and Latifi answered with a leg kick and a right cross. Anderson stuffed a takedown and he landed short punches in close until Latifi clinched again. A right hand to the body and a head kick both landed for Anderson, who followed up with a quick combination. Latifi slowed way down and Anderson began to pick him apart with kicks. Latifi rushed forward with a flurry that missed, and Anderson took advantage by punishing him with punches and body kicks. Latifi clinched and landed two left hooks, but Anderson was unfazed and he closed out the round with two hooks to the jaw. 10-9 Anderson.
Round 3:
The final round began with Anderson landing kicks to Latifi’s upper body. Latifi countered with a leg kick and a right hook to the temple. A short left hand landed for Latifi, but he continued to tire and retreated soon after. Anderson threw a head kick and he backed Latifi up with a one-two, but Latifi circled out and launched a spinning wheel kick that landed behind Anderson’s ear. A leg kick landed for Latifi, but Anderson cracked him with three hard punches and he landed another combination before the bell. 10-9 Anderson.
Winner: Corey Anderson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 12-4-0.
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski vs Chad “Money” Mendes
Round 1:
Mendes opened the fight with quick leg kicks and Volkanovski missed the mark with counter combinations. Mendes connected with a flurry and he fought off a Volkanovski clinch attempt. The fighters traded power punches and Volkanovski landed a grazing head kick. He established his jab and followed with a nice right hand. Mendes took him down and landed a short uppercut as Volkanovski returned to his feet. Both men landed two-punch combos and Mendes mixed in a knee. Close opening round. 10-9 Mendes by a slim margin.
Round 2:
Volkanovski landed a body kick and a hard right hand in round two, but Mendes cracked him with a counter hook that set off an exchange of power punches. Mendes dropped Volkanovski with a right hand, but Volkanovski regained his footing and more big shots were exchanged. Mendes scored with a left hook to the liver and Volkanovski responded with a hard flurry to the chin that forced Mendes to shoot in for a takedown. Volkanovski quickly stood and he hurt Mendes with a leg kick and a combination. Mendes countered with a slick takedown into back control, but Volkanovski scrambled free and he escaped to his feet. Knees to the body and elbows hurt Mendes, but he stayed on his feet. A left hook to the liver hurt Mendes again and Volkanovski finished him off with punches as he turtled on the ground.
Winner: Alexander Volkanovski by TKO (Punches) at 4:14 of round two. He improves to 19-1-0.