Jones vs. Machida Results: Yves Jabouin's Victory Points to Bright Future

Yves Jabouin proved he's fulfilling his potential and is capable of holding the title with a victory at Saturday's UFC 140.

The Fight

Jabouin won a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) over Walel Watson at UFC 140 on Saturday night. Jabouin persevered even though he faced a massive height and 12" reach disadvantage.  

Yves was fantastic in the first round, and then slipped some in the second before coming out and winning an action-packed third round to give him the edge in the split decision.

Jabouin's Pedigree

Yves is a 32-year-old Haitian-Canadian fighter who made his way to the UFC after they merged with the WEC.

Jabouin has compiled a 17-7 record as a professional. His first UFC fight was a failure as he suffered a first-round submission defeat. However, he bounced back and won his next two fights.

Up until this fight, Jabouin had succeeded largely due to his hard-hitting ways. He's one of the heaviest-hitting bantamweights around—winning 11 of his 17 fights via a knockout.

The Final Nail in the Coffin

At 32, the future is now for Jabouin. If he's going to make a run at a title, he can't afford any more losses. This fight was a big step in that direction. 

Yves faced a fighter with superior grappling skills and a huge reach advantage, and yet was able to figure out a way to defeat him without relying on one big knockout blow.

Jabouin touched on this following his victory. He said, as quoted by Dan Stupp of MMAJunkie.com:

"

It was real hard to get inside, but you have to get inside being a shorter guy to be able to punch. It's basically a puzzle piece you have to figure out.

"

This fight pointed to the fact that Yves not only figured out Watson, but how to handle a style of fighter that had historically given him fits. He's now emerging as a complete fighter.

Jabouin is ready to take the next step up in competition, and with the strides he has made, he's capable of defeating anyone.