| UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | April 21, 2012 | |||
| Venue | Philips Arena | |||
| City | Atlanta, Georgia | |||
| Attendance | 15,545[1] | |||
| Total gate | $2,200,000[1] | |||
| Total purse | $1,501,000[2] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans was a mixed martial arts event held by theUltimate Fighting Championship. It was the 9th UFC event of the year, and took place on April 21, 2012 at thePhilips Arena inAtlanta, Georgia.[3][4]
The event was initially set to take place on March 24, 2012, inMontreal, Canada.[5] However, in mid-January 2012, it was announced that the event was shelved due to inability to secure a championship fight, stemming from "scheduling complications".[6] In early February it was reported that the event would take place inAtlanta, Georgia on April 21.[7]
The headline fight at UFC 145 was aUFC Light Heavyweight Championship contest between championJon Jones and challengerRashad Evans. Jones and Evans are former teammates atJackson's MMA, under the tutelage of coachGreg Jackson.[8] Evans was one of Jackson's most successful fighters, and was a core member of his training camp. Being in the same weightclass, and a long-time member of Jackson's MMA, the UFC veteran Evans naturally took the young and inexperienced fighter Jones under his wing. In the months leading to UFC 145, the two engaged in a bitter and public feud.[9]
AtUFC 128 (March 19, 2011), Evans was expected to fight for the Light Heavyweight title against then-championMauricio Rua. However, a knee injury forced Evans off of the card. Needing an opponent for Rua at UFC 128, the UFC offered Jones the match. Jones accepted, with Evans' blessing. Shortly afterwards, Jones stated in an interview with MMA reporterAriel Helwani he would be willing to fight Evans if the UFC asked. Evans felt betrayed by his teammate and friend, starting a feud which forced Evans to leave Jackson's MMA. Evans then joined the Imperial Athletics camp in Florida.[10]
Since UFC 128, Jones had defended his championship twice against former champions (Quinton Jackson andLyoto Machida). Evans had defeated former championTito Ortiz, as well asPhil Davis, to setting the stage for "the most anticipated Light Heavyweight bout sinceChuck Liddell foughtTito Ortiz".[11] This was the third scheduled contest between the two. The first match was scrapped due to a hand injury to Jones, the second because of a thumb injury to Evans.[12]
UFC Primetime returned to promote the main event.[13]
Matt Wiman was expected to faceMark Bocek at this event, but was forced off the card with an injury and replaced by the returningJohn Alessio.[14]
John Makdessi weighed in two pounds over the Lightweight limit. He was fined 20 percent of his purse, and his fight withAnthony Njokuani became acatchweight bout at 158 lb.[15]
The event consisted of twelve mixed martial arts bouts, sanctioned by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission and contested under theUnified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. All bouts were scheduled for three five-minute rounds except for the main event championship match between Jones and Evans, which was five five-minute rounds. Two of the preliminary fights were streamed onFacebook, and four were televised onFX. Attendance was 15,545, with a gate of $2,200,000. The pay-per-view buyrate was 700,000.
All but one of the event's six preliminary fights went the full three rounds, ending in a decision.
The first bout of the evening was betweenMaximo Blanco andMarcus Brimage. After three uneventful rounds between the hesitant fighters, the judges scored the contest 29–28 Blanco, 30–27 Brimage, and 29–28 for the winner by split decision, Marcus Brimage. Immediately after the fight concluded, Blanco executed a backflip, which was mimicked by Brimage. The two fighters then engaged in an impromptu backflip competition to the delight of the fans.[16]
In the second match,Keith Wisniewski took on UFC newcomerChris Clements. In the first round, Wisniewski clinched and dragged Clements to the mat, and passed to full mount. Clements regained half guard as Wisniewski landed hard shots. With two minutes left in the round, referee Fernando Yamasaki issued a controversial stand-up order. Following the stand-up, Clements dropped Wisniewski with a turning kick to the body. Wisniewski recovered and the two traded punches shortly before the round ended. After a close second round, Clements controlled the third, landing powerful right hand punches and dropping Wisniewski with a knee. He closed out the fight with strongground-and-pound as time expired, sending the fight to the judges for a decision. The judges scored the bout 29–28 Clements, 29–28 Wisniewski, and 30–27 for the winner by split decision, Chris Clements.[16]
In the third bout,Mac Danzig foughtEfrain Escudero. In the first round, Escudero unsuccessfully attempted aheel hook submission. Danzig proceeded totake Escudero's back and attempt arear-naked choke in one motion, but Escudero escaped. After three close rounds, the bout went to a decision. The judges scored it 30–27, 30–27, and 29–28 for Mac Danzig, the winner by unanimous decision.[16]
The fourth match pittedAnthony Njokuani againsttaekwondo fighterJohn Makdessi. The first round was defined by kicks. While Makdessi was the aggressor, Njokuani landed more kicks. In the second round, Njokuani continued to use his reach advantage to land kicks and punches. Makdessi could not get his timing down and Njokuani continued to counter. The third round was more of the same until the horn sounded, and all three judges scored the bout 30–27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Anthony Njokuani.[16]
In the fifth fight,Stephen Thompson facedMatt Brown. In the first two rounds, Thompson had success striking on the feet but had trouble stopping Brown's takedowns. Thompson started the second round strong, wobbling Brown with kicks and punches. Brown then knocked Thompson down with an elbow and, from the top, landed elbows and punches which opened a cut on Thompson's face. Brown dominated the third round by securing a mounted crucifix and then a mounted triangle. Brown finished out the fight by pummeling a bloody Thompson until the horn sounded. The judges scored the bout 30–27, 29–27, and 30–27 for Matt Brown, the winner by unanimous decision.[16]
In the sixth bout of the evening, heavyweightsTravis Browne andChad Griggs squared off. In the first round, Browne secured a takedown and landed inhalf guard. Browne easily transitioned into thefull mount position and quickly secured anarm triangle choke. Griggstapped out at 2:29 of the first round, in the first finish of the night. The UFC awarded Browne with the "Submission of the Night" bonus award for his performance.[16]
The first bout on the main card was a lightweight match betweenMark Bocek andJohn Alessio. Bocek started strong and dominated the first round after a takedown. From there, he landed several big elbows. He continued to grapple and soften up Alessio with punches until the end of the round. Both men slowed down in the second round, but Bocek controlled the action. In the final round, Bocek transitioned to full back mount from abody triangle on Alessio. However, Bocek failed to fully apply a rear-naked choke, and Alessio escaped. Neither fighter could finish the fight before time ended, and the fight went to a decision. The three judges scored the bout 30–27, 29–28, and 30–27 for Mark Bocek, the winner by unanimous decision.[16]
The next fight was between two featherweight fighters,Mark Hominick and Eddie Yagin. Hominick survived the first round after being knocked down by a rightuppercut/lefthook combination from Yagin. At the start of the second round, Hominick looked less tired than Yagin. Hominick landed solid punches until Yagin landed another big shot of his own. Yagin followed up with hard shots on the ground but, once again, Hominick recovered. Hominick peppered Yagin in the third round with hooks andjabs, while Yagin threw power shots. Hominick continued to land punches throughout the round, and both fighter's faces were bruised and bloody by the end. The fight ended in a split decision. The first judge scored the bout 29–28 for Yagin. The second scored it 29–28 for Hominick. The third scored it 29–28 in favor of the winner, Eddie Yagin. This fight earned both men $65,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus awards.[16]
| Main card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Light Heavyweight | Jon Jones (c) | def. | Rashad Evans | Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 49–46, 50–45) | 5 | 5:00 | [a] |
| Welterweight | Rory MacDonald | def. | Che Mills | TKO (punches) | 2 | 2:20 | |
| Heavyweight | Ben Rothwell | def. | Brendan Schaub | KO (punches) | 1 | 1:10 | |
| Bantamweight | Michael McDonald | def. | Miguel Torres | KO (punches) | 1 | 3:18 | |
| Featherweight | Eddie Yagin | def. | Mark Hominick | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Lightweight | Mark Bocek | def. | John Alessio | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary card (FX) | |||||||
| Heavyweight | Travis Browne | def. | Chad Griggs | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | 1 | 2:29 | [b] |
| Welterweight | Matt Brown | def. | Stephen Thompson | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Catchweight (158 lb) | Anthony Njokuani | def. | John Makdessi | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | [c] |
| Lightweight | Mac Danzig | def. | Efrain Escudero | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary card (Facebook) | |||||||
| Welterweight | Chris Clements | def. | Keith Wisniewski | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Marcus Brimage | def. | Maximo Blanco | Decision (split) (28–29, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
The following fighters received $65,000 bonuses.[17]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[2]
