Jon Jones notched the fourth defense of his UFC light heavyweight title on Saturday, forcing Vitor Belfort to tap to an Americana in the fourth round. Read more after the jump.
It was another dominant display for Jones, but it didn’t come easy.
Early in the first round, Belfort caught the champion in a tight armbar from his back. Jones refused to tap and eventually worked his way out of the hold, but not before he visibly hyperextended his right elbow.
Afterward, he said the area was numb throughout the rest of the fight.
“I’ve never had my arm popped like that before,” Jones said. “I felt it, but I worked too hard to give up. I honestly was waiting for it to break.
“It just felt numb. My brain is trained to throw it, so I threw it, but it didn’t feel powerful at all.”
Belfort continued to attempt submissions from his back throughout the fight but none came as close as the first. His face was bloodied as early as the first round from the sharp elbows Jones has used on previous opponents.
In the third round, Jones landed a sidekick to Belfort’s sternum from which Belfort never recovered. After the finish, Belfort said he had injured the same area prior to the fight.
“He caught me with a kick in the rib,” Belfort said. “I already had an injury in training. I was trying to work my jiu-jitsu and catch my breath but he was long and his pace was pretty well. That’s why he’s the champion.”
Belfort’s teammates attempted to rally their fighter heading into the fourth, but the Brazilian was visibly fading. The official time of the stoppage was :54 of the fourth round.
In the past 12 months, Jones (17-1) has defeated Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Quinton Jackson and now Belfort.
Belfort (21-10), who accepted the title fight on short notice and hadn’t fought at 205 pounds in five years, had a two-fight win streak snapped.
