ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Jon Jones reclaimed his UFC light heavyweight title Saturday night, stopping Daniel Cormier in the third round with a vicious head kick and a finish on the ground at UFC 214.
Jones (23-1) completed his rocky journey back to the top after a yearlong suspension with his 14th consecutive victory. He fended off a stiff challenge from Cormier (19-2), who held the belt for most of the past two years while Jones dealt with self-inflicted setbacks outside the cage.
After 2 1/2 rounds of even, high-level striking, Jones landed a head kick that caught Cormier leaning in. The champion staggered backward and then around the cage with Jones in pursuit, and Jones finished the fight on the ground with a series of merciless strikes.
The card also saw Tyron Woodley dominate Demian Maia to defend his welterweight title and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino knee her way to a knockout victory over Tonya Evinger to claim the recently-created women’s 145-pound title. Robbie Lawler returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Volkan Oezdemir lobbied for a title shot against Jon Jones in the most effective way possible by violently disposing of Jimi Manuwa in 42 seconds.