ANAHEIM, Calif. — The end came with🐎 a sudden viciousne☂ss built up over the past two years.
It started with a leg kick to the head, and once Jon “Bones” Jones swept Daniel Cormier off his feet, h🐟e began a relentless ground and pound fueled by anger and redemption.
With a battered Cormier defenseless,🀅 the referee had no choice but to stop the fight at 3:01 of the third round of their UFC light-heavyweight showdown Saturday night at the Honda Center.
Jones regained the title at UFC 214 that was stripped from him in 2015 after he was involved in a hit-and-run accident. He had fought just once since s𒁃erving two suspensions.
“I made it back,” Jones sa🧸id. “I did a lot of right things to get back to t💟his position. As long as you don’t quit, it’s never over.”
The first two rounds were competitive and close. Cormier (19-2) appeared to stagg🅺er Jones wi🎃th a right hand in the second round, but the end came suddenly in the third round once Jones landed the leg kick. Jones, as the champion, won their first meeting in January 2015 by decision.
Jones (23-1) called out former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE super🌄star Brock Lesnar after the fight.
“If you want to get your [butt] kicked by someon𝔍e who weighs 40 pounds less than y♋ou, meet me in the octagon,” Jones said.
The Associated Press reached Lesnar shortly after he watched ꧒the championship fight and then heard Jones call him out.
“Be careful what you wish for, young man,” Lesnar said.
Jones’ victory was one of three title fights on the pay-per-view card. Cris “Cyborg” Justino won th🅠e women’s 145-featherweight title, while Tyron Woodley successfully defended his welterܫweight crown.
Justino, considered by many the𝕴 best female fighter on the planet, dropped Tonya Evinger with the first punch she threw in the first round. But Evinger got up and fought gamely over the first two rounds, absorbing hard blows and kicks from Cyborg, who applied relentless pressure.
Evinger (19-6) finally caved in the third round.
The end began with a kick to the head that dropped a battered Evinger. Justino (18-1) went for the finish with an explosive ground and pound that forced the referee to stop the bout aꦛt 1:56 of the round.
Germaine de Randamie became the UFC’s first women’s featherweight champion when ไshe defeated Holly Holm at UFC 208 at Barclays Center. But Randamie refused to defend the title against Justino beไcause of Justino’s past connections to performance enhancing drugs.
Justino is the champion now.
“I’m really happy to be champ,✤” the Brazilian said. “It’s the perfect time for me. This is just the be🌳ginning.”
Woodley (18-3-1) retained his welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Damian Maia (26-6) in a fight fans hated for its overall lack of action. Woodley escaped the repeated takedowns by Maia and won the fight with his accurate, if limited striking. The 🐭bout reportedly set a record for fewest strikes thrown in a championship.
Robbie Lawler also won a unanimous decision oဣver Donald Cerrone.