UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira – Results and Recap

By Emil Fischer | Photos by UFC.com via Getty Images

Jon “Bones” Jones dominant in UFC 172 title defense; Anthony Johnson shakes up division with upset victory over Phil Davis

APRIL 27, 2014 – The UFC has been on a roll lately providing the fans with great matchups between their top fighters.  The level of today’s MMA fighter is so much higher than a decade ago and we are enjoying the benefits from our couches to the stadiums where the fights take place. At UFC 172 fans got to see Jon Jones defend his title yet again.  Many wanted to see this giant fall, but no such thing happened this time, he put on an outstanding display of his abilities against the powerful and respected Glover Teixeira; making up for his lackluster performance in his last fight.  The viewing public also got to see the return of the always exciting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson against the light heavyweight division’s elite, Phil Davis.  The card was strong and had a lot of technical battles, and some great submission victories, (3 of which came by guillotine, which is quite unusual) and even a couple of knockouts on the prelim card, including one of the most brutal flying knees displayed in the recent past.

UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira – Main Card Results and Recap

205 lbs.: Jon Jones (20-1) vs. Glover Teixeira (22-3) After Jon Jones’ performance against Alexander Gustafsson back in September there were a lot of questions about his ability to perform against top predators in the light heavyweight division.  At UFC 172 those questions were emphatically answered as he used his overwhelming reach and cardio to outwork and dominate his opponent, Glover Teixeira.  Many people thought that Teixeira had this fight in the bag because of his uncanny ability to finish his opponents.  In all fairness, Jones did not finish Teixeira but he certainly made a statement that he can go toe to toe with one of the best strikers in the game and outwork him.  As of Saturday night, Jones has defended his title 7 times since winning it in March of 2011 and shows no signs of slowing down.  It should be interesting to see what challenges will be put in his way by the UFC in his upcoming fights.

Outcome: Jon Jones over Glover Teixeira by Unanimous Decision

205 lbs.: Phil Davis (12-2, 1 NC) vs. Anthony Johnson (17-4) Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has been around the block.  Since his debut 7 years ago he has won and lost the respect of MMA fans with his rise and subsequent fall when put under pressure.  Saturday night he made a statement by dominating the powerful Phil Davis.  Davis has done well for himself thus far in the UFC, even taking this loss into account.  He seems unfinishable and determined.  We often see fighters give up when they’re getting beaten but despite a rough first round, Phil went the distance.  He’s likely to rebound but Johnson might have proved himself to be the more likely contender with his performance on Saturday night.

Outcome: Anthony Johnson over Phil Davis by Unanimous Decision

185 lbs.: Luke Rockhold (12-2) vs. Tim Boetsch (17-7) Recent history has not been kind to Tim Boetsch.  He is a tough fighter and has beaten many top level opponents.  On Saturday night we witnessed another crushing defeat by way of a crafty Triangle/Kimura.  Rockhold may have a bright future in the UFC and we hope we get to see more of his outstanding submission game.  Unfortunately Boetsch’s days in the promotion are likely numbered as he can’t seem to catch a break.

Outcome: Luke Rockhold over Tim Boetsch by Submission at 2:08 Rd 1

155 lbs.: Jim Miller (24-4, 1 NC) vs. Yancy Medeiros (9-2, 1 NC) A year ago, Jim Miller was submitted by Pat Healy (a victory that was later overturned due to Healy testing positive for marijuana), but here we are a year later and Miller has shown us that he’s on his way to the top!  This even marked the second submission victory in a row for Miller, with an impressive, sleep inducing guillotine over the tough Yancy Medeiros.  With this win Miller looks to show he’s more than another tough gatekeeper in the lightweight division. A few more performances like this and he’s back in the title hunt.

Outcome: Jim Miller over Yancy Medeiros by Submission at 3:18 Rd 1

145 lbs.: Max Holloway (9-3) vs. Andre Fili (13-2) Up until his fight against Max Holloway, Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili was doing great, winning 9 fights in a row.  Holloway decided to go ahead and change that for Fili by winning their fight with a guillotine with less than two minutes left in the third round.  Holloway, who had a rough 2013, has been doing great this year, winning his fight in January and now taking out a tough opponent.

Outcome: Max Holloway over Andre Fili by Submission at 3:39 Rd 3  

UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira – Preliminary Cars Results and Recap

  125 lbs.: Joseph Benavidez (20-4) vs. Tim Elliot (10-5-1) Joseph Benavidez came off of a tough loss in his challenge of Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s belt back in December to face Tim Elliot.  Benavidez came out with stunning resolve and took home a victory with yet another guillotine for this event.  This might be a record of most guillotines in one UFC event.  Benavidez did such a good job in this fight that he earned a performance of the night bonus.  If Benavidez can string a few more of these sorts of victories together he may get another shot at the title.

Outcome: Benavidez over Tim Elliot by Submission at 4:08 Rd 1

155 lbs.: Takanori Gomi (35-9, 1 NC) vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg (14-5-1) Takanori Gomi has been around for a LONG time (he fought for the first time in 1998), and has taken a lot of abuse the past couple of years only being able to string together one or two victories in a row before getting beaten since 2008.  We saw him go the distance against Isaac Vallie Flagg.  The Fireball Kid has always been a fan favorite, and gave us a fight of the night performance with his opponent Vallie-Flagg.

Outcome: Takanori Gomi over Isaac Vallie-Flagg by Unanimous Decision  

135 lbs.: Jessamyn Duke (3-1) vs. Bethe Correia (8-0) Jessamyn Duke showed us her grit and power on TUF using her overwhelming reach and technical striking abilities to beat most of her opponents.  Newcomer Bethe Correia was somewhat of an underdog coming into this fight in spite of her more substantial record, but she took home a unanimous decision in the ever growing UFC women’s division.

Outcome: Bethe Correia over Jessamyn Duke by Unanimous Decision

170 lbs.: Danny Castillo (17-6) vs. Charlie Brenneman (19-7) Given their credentials, these two fighters could have been on the main card, but fans got to see this welterweight blowout on the prelims instead.  Both Castillo and Brenneman were coming off of losses when they took on this fight.  While the two didn’t do a whole lot in the first round, Castillo pulled a huge knockout off in the beginning of the second round.

Outcome: Danny Castillo over Charlie Brenneman by KO, at 0:21 RD2

135 lbs.: Chris Beal (9-0) vs. Patrick Williams (7-4) A second performance of the night performance at UFC 172, Chris Beal showed us all that he has big things in store for us with his flying knee knockout over Patrick Williams.  Beal had a tough time on The Ultimate Fighter, breaking his hand in the preliminary bouts and then getting submitted in his first fight against a slick grappler, but hopefully all that is behind him and he will make a name for himself in the UFC.

Outcome: Chris Beal over Patrick Williams by KO at 1:51 RD2