Jones proved that he was the better wrestler by immediately going after Sonnen and tackling him down thrice in what was supposed to be a five-round fight.
Sonnen nearly got Jones in a guillotine choke before the third takedown, but the champion wrapped his arms behind Sonnen’s leg and slammed the challenger hard to the mat.
Jones then trapped Sonnen against the cage and began pounding away until the referee stopped the action at 4:33 minutes of the first round.
"I was just glad to beat Chael Sonnen," said Jones, who tied Tito Ortiz for making five successful defenses at light heavyweight. "He's an awesome opponent. We went through a lot of drama and he motivated me a lot."
Sonnen, on the other hand, was all praises for Jones.
"He's an excellent fighter," said the former middleweight contender. "I have no problem with the decision of that stoppage. He's very powerful. He went for the kill and never stopped. I thought I was alright, but he's the better fighter."
Sonnen is also contemplating retirement after his loss to Jones.
"I'm going to think it through," he said. "I'm not going to be one of the guys who hangs around if he doesn't have a road to the title. I believe that was my last opportunity."
Meanwhile, Jones sustained an injury in UFC 159. The champion had a broken big toe in his left foot and it was not clear if he suffered it during or after his fight against Sonnen.
Jones himself didn’t realize the injury until he was interviewed by Joe Rogan.
In the main supporting bout, Michael Bisping was awarded a unanimous technical decision over Alan Belcher after the bout was stopped due an accidental eye poke.
Bisping was effectively handling his opponent until his fingers swiped s across Belcher's eye.
Belcher went down in pain, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
