UFC 182 Results: Winners and Scorecards from Jones vs. Cormier Fight Card
After a long and bitter buildup, Jon "Bones" Jones again proved he is the king of the light heavyweights in the UFC. He scored a unanimous-decision win Saturday night over Daniel Cormier at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
MMA reporter Josh Gross has the official numbers.
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The main event of UFC 182 was perhaps the most hyped and highly anticipated fight in UFC history.
While there was no explosive ending, Jones chose to show his dominance by outwrestling the dominant wrestler. Jones took down Cormier for the first three times in his career. Bleacher Report's Jeremy Botter added salt to Cormier's wounds.
Instead of staying at a distance, the champion fought Cormier at a range the challenger wanted, and Jones still prevailed.
It was yet another awesome performance to add to his legendary career. The two men showed there was still a bit of bad blood. After the final horn, there were a few shots thrown, and Jones went WWE D-Generation X on Cormier with a lower-body gesture for good measure.
Believe it or not, there were 10 other fights on the card in Vegas, and some of them were pretty good.
The co-feature between Cowboy Donald Cerrone and Myles "Fury" Jury wasn't one of them. From the outset, it appeared as though the young and previously undefeated Jury was in for more than he could handle.
Cerrone easily captured the unanimous decision. That was one of eight bouts to end with all three judges agreeing on the winner.
For a look at which fighters won the other eight scraps, check out the results table. Just below that is a closer look at each result.
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Alexis Dufresne vs. Marion Reneau | Women's Bantamweight | Reneau by unanimous decision (30-26x2, 30-25) |
| Omari Akhmedov vs. Mats Nilsson | Welterweight | Akhmedov by unanimous decision (29-28x3) |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Evan Dunham vs. Rodrigo Damm | Lightweight | Dunham by unanimous decision (30-27x3) |
| Shawn Jordan vs. Jared Cannonier | Heavyweight | Jordan by first-round TKO |
| Marcus Brimage vs. Cody Garbrandt | Bantamweight | Garbrandt by third-round KO |
| Danny Castillo vs. Paul Felder | Lightweight | Felder by second-round KO |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Hectord Lombard vs. Josh Burkman | Welterweight | Lombard by unanimous decision (30-27x2, 29-28) |
| Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Louis Gaudinot | Flyweight | Horiguchi by unanimous deceision (30-27x2, 29-28) |
| Brad Tavares vs. Nate Marquardt | Middleweight | Tavares by unanimous decision (30-27x3) |
| Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury | Ligthweight | Cerrone by unanimous decision (30-27x3) |
| Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier | Light Heavyweight | Jones by unanimous decision (49-46x3) |
Alexis "Sneaky Zebra" Dufresne vs. Marion "Belizean Bruiser" Reneau
Alexis Dufresne missed weight for her second UFC fight by three pounds, per UFC.com, but the extra size didn't help. Marion Reneau looked like a fighter in the Octagon with a complete amateur. Reneau won by unanimous decision in a fight that should have been stopped midway through the second round.
MMAFighting.com's Luke Thomas agreed.
During the UFC Fight Pass broadcast, UFC announcer Joe Rogan pleaded for the bout to be stopped in the final moments. It was pretty disturbing that it wasn't.
The 37-year-old Belizean landed so many counter rights that Dufresne should have begged for a left hand. By the middle of the first round, Dufresne's nose was bleeding profusely, and it was clear she was in over her head.
The 24-year-old known as the Sneaky Zebra showed her stripes, and they weren't very impressive. To be honest, Dufresne had no business competing at this level.
Reneau looked excellent in her UFC debut, but we'll have to see how her game looks against a better fighter.
Omari Akhmedov vs. Mats Nilsson
Omari Akhmedov didn't look much better in this fight than he did when he lost to Gunnar Nelson in his last bout, but his effort was still good enough to beat Mats Nilsson.
On the strength of a fast first round and some timely takedowns in the second round, the 27-year-old Russian earned a unanimous-decision win.
Akhmedov was clearly fatigued in the second round, but Nilsson was unable to take advantage of his tiring opponent. Akhmedov would simply shoot for a double-leg takedown to curtail momentum and to grab a quick rest.
MMA fighter Mateus Franco also admired Akhmedov's ability to get the fight to the ground.
"Akhmedov's takedowns were timed to perfection, he deserved the win #UFCFIGHTPASS #UFC182
— Mateus Franco (@MFranco89) January 4, 2015"
Nilsson nearly had a submission win in the final seconds, but he ran out of time.
The loss kept Nilsson winless in the UFC after he lost his debut in the promotion against Luke Barnatt. Akhmedov's power was the key, though he needs to work on conditioning and pacing moving forward. Nilsson must be busier in future fights, especially against a tiring opponent.
Evan Dunham vs. Rodrigo Damm
Most people don't think of Evan Dunham as a premier striker, but he looked like one Saturday against Rodrigo Damm. The former easily won a unanimous decision.
From the early moments of the first round, it was clear Dunham was quicker and the more sophisticated striker. Damm tried to bait Dunham into a slugfest in the third round, but he didn't get a bite.
ESPN's Brett Okamoto might have exposed Damm's card with this tweet.
This one wasn't as one-sided as the Dufresne-Reneau bout, but the outcome was never in doubt. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak for Dunham. He desperately needed this win if he had hopes of being relevant again in the lightweight division.
As for Damm, he needs to ask himself some serious questions. He's now lost three straight and eight of his last 12. The 34-year-old Brazilian just doesn't look to be contender material.
Shawn "The Savage" Jordan vs. Jared "Killa" Cannonier
A short right hand seemed to disrupt Jared Cannonier's equilibrium, and Shawn Jordan wasted no time finishing off his fallen foe.
Before the definitive shot, Cannonier looked to be moving well and on the right track against the much heavier Jordan. That said, if Cannonier is going to fold like a lawn chair from what really wasn't a mammoth shot, he's not going to have a very successful UFC career.
The loss was the first professional defeat for Cannonier, and it came in his UFC debut. There are some skills there, but his toughness may not be up to par.
As for Jordan, I'm not sure what was more impressive: his KO win or the celebratory backflip at the end of the fight. Ben Fowlkes of USA Today was impressed.
Jordan gets his second win in a row and should have his sights set on bigger and better competition in his next fight.
Marcus "The Bama Beast" Brimage vs. Cody "No Love" Garbrandt
The Bama Beast will be mad at himself when he watches this fight over again. He was on his way to a likely decision win over Cody Garbrandt when he got too adventurous in the final seconds of the last round.
Garbrandt caught Brimage with a huge right hand that dropped the 29-year-old. Adrenaline allowed Brimage to rise to his feet, but he clearly hadn't regained his faculties. The end ultimately came with just 10 seconds remaining.
It was Garbrandt's debut and an explosive one. He showed great poise and confidence against a skilled opponent. He has some defensive flaws, but at just 23 years old, Garbrandt has some serious upside. There was a little Michael McDonald—not the singer—in his fighting style.
Jordan Breen of Sherdog complimented the young scrapper.
Brimage had established some solid momentum with a highlight-reel KO of Jumabieke Tuerxun in Nov. 2014, but this is obviously a setback.
He's beginning to look like a fighter who will be good enough to compete with midlevel competition but never breaking through to the elite levels at bantamweight.
Danny "Last Call" Castillo vs. Paul "Irish Dragon" Felder
Paul Felder looked impressive throughout the entire fight, but his spinning backfist to finish was one of the most beautifully vicious strikes you'll ever see. Michael Carroll of FightMetric tells us just how rare a finish with a spinning backfist is in the UFC.
After absorbing a kick to the midsection in the second round, Felder instantaneously countered with a hard circling shot that left Last Call with the tab. Felder had shown a full arsenal of strikes throughout the fight, which is what made the finishing technique so effective.
Vicio MMA has the finish.
Per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com, Felder hoped that his performance was enough for the Fight Night bonus.
Per Botter, Felder got his wish.
Danny Castillo never really had a chance in this one. He couldn't find a way to penetrate Felder's striking and superb defense. This makes two losses in a row for Castillo, and at 35, this is a crushing defeat. It's unclear what this means for the rest of his career.
Felder's future looks bright. He won his UFC debut over Jason Saggo in Oct. 2014, but this performance pushed him to the next level. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here. Your interest should be piqued.
Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman
While Josh Burkman may be good enough to be back in the UFC, he wasn't good enough to beat Hector Lombard. After an absence of over six years from the promotion, Burkman returned but ran into a Cuban-Australian monster.
Thomas marveled at Lombard's frame.
From a strength and grappling standpoint, Lombard was too difficult of a task for Burkman upon his return. After a solid first round, Burkman gave way to Lombard's dominant grappling.
This win may not have been one of Lombard's most impressive, but it was enough to move him closer to a title shot at 170 pounds. Burkman has now lost his last four UFC bouts dating back to his last stint with the promotion.
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Louis "Goodnight" Gaudinot
There's finally a flyweight—not named John Dodson—in the UFC who looks as if he could potentially give Demetrious Johnson a good run. Kyoji Horiguchi used his varied striking game and speed to pick Louis Gaudinot apart.
Gaudinot deserves credit for taking some wicked shots and pressing forward, but he got beat up Saturday night.
Horiguchi is one of the most impressive young prospects in the UFC. By the time the 24-year-old from Japan works his way toward the top of the flyweight rankings, the hype for he and Johnson—should the latter still be the champ—could be fairly intense.
Damon Martin of Fox Sports thinks Horiguchi should take on The Magician.
One of the shots Gaudinot took must have caused Gaudinot to lose a bit of his memory. Per Al-Shatti, Goodnight suggested that he won the fight.
Despite the fact that he gave great effort Saturday night, Gaudinot may have hit his ceiling in the sport. He was making his first appearance in the Octagon since having a win over Phil Harris turned to a no-contest. Gaudinot failed a drug test, and the original outcome was overturned.
This loss now equals three straight setbacks for Gaudinot.
Brad Tavares vs. Nate "The Great" Marquardt
In a fight that drew boos from the Vegas crowd, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden didn't like the action very much either.
"This fight is the kind of fight that has me constructing 15 year old kickboxing HOT TAKES in the middle of the "action."
— Jonathan Snowden (@mmaencyclopedia) January 4, 2015"
Brad Tavares' improved striking skills proved to be enough to win a comfortable unanimous decision. Nate Marquardt is known for his submission skills, but he was unsuccessful in his attempts to take the fight to the mat.
Tavares' movement and the diversity of his strikes befuddled the UFC veteran. Specifically, Tavares' leg kicks and jabs kept Marquardt at a distance and allowed the 27-year-old Hawaiian to control the center of the Octagon.
He isn't quite ready to move into the title picture in the middleweight division, but with more improvement, Tavares could make himself a player in the weight class.
Marquardt had just snapped a three-fight losing streak with a big submission win over James Te Huna in June 2014. This loss puts the 35-year-old back on the schneid.
Cowboy Donald Cerrone vs. Myles "Fury" Jury
It's OK to kick a man when he's down if you're the one who put him there. Cerrone dominated Jury throughout most of the co-featured bout. He nearly submitted Jury in the first round.
In the final round, Cerrone nearly scored a stoppage after landing a vicious head kick. In the final seconds, the Cowboy expanded his dominance by throwing Jury to the mat. Instead of pouncing for ground-and-pound, Cerrone stood over his foe and launched a series of kicks to Jury's butt and legs.
Former fighter Dan Hardy quoted Rogan describing the kicks.
He wasn't trying to win with the shots. Cerrone seemed to want to send a statement to the young upstart lightweight.
Mission accomplished.
The loss was Jury's first in his career. He still has a bright future, but he was not ready for Cowboy. This victory makes six in a row for Cerrone. If he hasn't earned a shot at the lightweight title, no one in the sport deserves a shot at the gold.
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
If there ever was a question whether Jones is the pound-for-pound king, those inquiries should be put to rest. Jones beat his bitter rival at his own game.
The win pushes Jones to an uncanny 21-1 in his career. Cormier did make a strong account of himself, but in the end, he swallowed a bitter pill in losing to a man he detests.
Cormier will now have to move to the back of the line while the likes of Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson try their hand at knocking off the baddest man on the planet.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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