Following some controversy after refusing a fight against Chael Sonnen on short notice for UFC 151, Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title on Saturday night, submitting former champion Victor Belfort in the fourth round.
Jones had some early trouble in the bout, with Belfort almost winning on an armbar in the first round, but Jones was able to recover and eventually win the match.
At the start of the match, only 30 seconds into the fight, Jones brought Belfort hard to the ground, but the Brazilian fighter countered with an armbar attempt that almost ended the fight.
"I've never had my arm pop like that before," said Jones to the Associated Press. He also said he would have let his arm break rather than tap out. "I felt it, but I worked too hard to give up. I honestly was waiting for it to break."
It was clear on Jones's face how much it hurt, but he was able to get out of it without tapping out.
Belfort launched a flurry of punches in the second round, but Jones used elbows and smart defensive moves to keep him at bay. Jones was able to knock him down again in the third round with a kick to the ribs, but Belfort did not give up easily.
"Go with your punches if you want to win this fight," Belfort's corner man yelled between rounds.
In the fourth Jones was able to pull down some hard elbows and got Belfort's arm back far enough to force a tap out. The fight ended at :54 in the fourth round.
"That's why he's a champion," said Belfort.
Jones came into the fight with an air of controversy around him after the cancellation of UFC 151. Leading up to that event, Jones was set to fight Dan Henderson before he suffered an injury and had to drop out. Jones was then asked to accept a fight with Sonnen on eight-days' notice, but refused to the chagrin of fans and UFC president Dana White.
Jones improved his record to 17-1.
The Jones fight was the co-main event with Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, who were fighting for the flyweight championship. Johnson won a split decision - 48-47, 47-48, 49-46 - to become the first flyweight champ for UFC.
Other card fights included featherweight Cub Swanson, who was able to beat the favored Charles Oliveira on a knockout to the right side of the head. The fight was stopped at 2:40 of the first round.
English middleweight Michael Bisping also won unanimously 29-28 over Brian Stann, improving to 24-4.
Following the fight, UFC President Dana White spoke about the appetite for a Jones-Henderson fight after the scrapped card last month.
"I can tell you right now, I think they both want that fight," White said to ESPN.com. "I just think there are other fights that make more sense. People do want to see it. If enough people want to see it, I guess I'll have to make it."
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