UFC 214 results: Full analysis, winners and reaction from Cormier vs. Jones 2

Jon Jones earned his light heavyweight title back with a huge third-round knockout of Daniel Cormier at UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2 on Saturday.

Jones was frustrated by Cormier’s poise and striking through the first two rounds, but a big head kick from Jones found its mark in the third, and that had Cormier partially out on his feet. Jones swarmed, got on top of him and punched away until the fight was stopped. Jones is the new light heavyweight champion for the first time since having the belt stripped from him twice.

In the co-main event, Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia fought five rounds but very little actually happened in the welterweight title contest. Woodley did some damage to Maia early, but much of the final three rounds involved Maia shooting for takedowns and getting none of them. He failed more than a dozen takedowns over the fight, but Woodley was hardly active.

Ultimately, Woodley took the unanimous decision, 50-45, 49-46, 49-46, and retained his welterweight title. The crowd was chanting “boring!” in the final round, but both fighters are dangerous and it was a smart fight for Woodley.

The first title up for grabs on the night was the vacant women’s featherweight championship. That was contested by Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino and Tonya Evinger, the former Invicta FC bantamweight champion. The first two rounds were dominated by Cyborg, and in the third she used brutal knees to force a stoppage and earn her first UFC title.

It will be interesting to see what happens next with that belt. It was last worn by Germaine de Randamie, but she was stripped of the title when she refused to fight Cyborg. She claimed Cyborg’s history of failed drug tests to be the primary concern.

Cormier and Jones first fought in January 2015, a fight that Jones won via unanimous decision. He was stripped of the title shortly after due to his involvement in a hit-and-run incident, and Cormier went on to beat Anthony Johnson to earn the title. Jones did win the interim belt with a decision win over Ovince Saint Preux, but had that stripped as well following a drug test failure.

In the interim, Cormier went on to beat Anderson Silva, Alexander Gustafsson and Johnson again before Saturday’s rematch with Jones. The two have a history of trash talk, with Jones constantly ridiculing Cormier for having a “fake” belt because he never earned a win over him.

Saturday’s main card opened with a brutal knockout from Volkan Oezdemir, who finished Jimi Manuwa in just 42 seconds to jumpstart the pay-per-view. Oezdemir connected with some big shots in the clinch and forced the referee to stop it shortly after when he sent Manuwa to the ground.

Robbie Lawler is hoping to get back in the welterweight title picture since losing the belt to Woodley, and he did so with a unanimous decision victory over fan favorite Donald Cerrone. It was a very close fight that could have went either way, with some believing Cerrone did enough to win it.

Below is the play-by-play from Saturday’s main card, and below that is the full list of results from the action.

Round 1: Jones swings two wild hooks that just miss early in the fight. Jones attempts a leg kick and Cormier catches it. Jones loses his mouthpiece and they stop briefly. They clinch, and Jones nearly earns a takedown but they roll through it. Jones connects with a left hook over the top. Jones connects with an oblique kick. Cormier lands a leg kick of his own. They clinch and Jones pushes Cormier away. He just misses with a left straight, and lands two more oblique kicks, and then a big left knee to the body. Jones lands a straight right on the jaw. Cormier is having trouble getting in range. Cormier lands a big leg kick and lands a left hook as they separate from the fence. Cormier connects with a short left a big winging right hook and it does some damage, but Jones recovers. Cormier connects with another big right hook, and a left jack. He’s landing leg kicks and body kicks too. The round comes an end with Cormier talking trash.

Round 2: Jones connects with a big knee to the body early in the round. He just grazes Cormier with a right hand over the top. There is an unintentional clash of heads and the action is stopped briefly. Jones lands a massive leg kick and just misses with a right hook when they restart. Cormier sneaks a left straight through and lands flush. Jones connects with a quick body kick and just misses with a left hook. Jones misses with two straight rights and Cormier is taunting him. Cormier connects with an uppercut as Jones tries another hook that misses. Cormier tosses Jones, but nearly ends up on the bottom himself. Cormier grazes Jones with a massive overhand right as the round comes to an end.

Round 3: Jones continues landing with the leg kicks and oblique kicks. Cormier is walking through them, though. Jones has landed more strikes, but Cormier has been composed the entire time and has landed the heavier strikes. Jones connects with another big knee to the body. Cormier throws a straight right that lands, and a body kick of his own. Jones connects with a big left head kick. Cormier runs away, and he stumbles. Jones misses with a flying knee and Cormier falls down, avoiding it. Jones swarms him and fires off some huge punches while Cormier is down on his knees. The referee stops the fight, and Jones wins his belt back.

Round 1: Maia tries for a takedown early and it looks like he ate an uppercut that has his left eye swelling badly almost instantly. He doesn’t get the takedown, and he doesn’t get the second one he attempts shortly after. Maia attempts another shot after they circle briefly, and Woodley grabs the fence. The referee stops the action briefly and warns Woodley that he will take a point if it happens again. Maia connects with a left straight and attempts a fourth double leg takedown, and can’t get it, though this one is closer. Woodley just misses an overhand right and Maia fails another takedown. Maia connects with a left straight. The round comes to an end with Woodley doing some taunting.

Round 2: Woodley sneaks a right straight through Maia’s guard and it lands flush. Maia staggers briefly. Big inside leg kick from Woodley. Straight left from Maia lands, and Woodley lands a right hand of his own that sends Maia to the mat. Maia has recovered, though, and he welcomes Woodley into his guard, but Woodley refuses. Maia gets back up and Woodley is taunting him. Maia connects with a short right hand and Woodley slaps his own chin, more taunting. Maia tries for and fails another takedown. Woodley lands an inside leg kick as Maia tries to catch it and drag him down. Woodley connects with a hook to the body and Maia just clips Woodley with a right hook. The round comes to an end.

Round 3: Nothing of significance lands in the opening minutes. Woodley is trying to work a one-two combo, but Maia is getting out of the way for the most part. Woodley does connect with a right straight. Woodley is spending much of this round backing up. The crowd is booing, but neither fighter cares. There is plenty of fight left. Maia keeps throwing the left overhand straight, but he can’t land it. It’s surprising that Maia isn’t throwing any big kicks, high or low. The round comes to an end.

Round 4: Maia gets Woodley against the fence and tries for a single-leg takedown, but he doesn’t get it. Maia hasn’t come close to actually getting a takedown in this fight. He is doing nothing but throwing the left straight and attempting a takedown. Woodley connects with a right straight. Maia attempts another takedown, and fails. Maia connects with an inside leg kick. This is a weird fight because Maia is pressing the action and Woodley isn’t throwing much at all. Maia certainly isn’t winning a “fight” by any means, but Woodley isn’t exactly making a big statement the latter three rounds. Woodley tags Maia with an overhand right near the fence, but doesn’t follow up on it.

Round 5: Maia attempts a pair of takedowns in the first minute, and neither comes close to landing. Woodley connects with an outside left hook, but it’s another one-and-done shot. Another takedown attempt and Woodley shakes it off without issue. The crowd is chanting “boring.” Nothing is happening. Woodley is just shaking off Maia’s weak takedown attempts and isn’t throwing. A minute to go. Maia tries to swing for the fences in the final seconds, just missing with a massive left hand and a massive right hand. The fight comes to an end.

Round 1: Cyborg lands a big right hook early and Evinger quickly clinches to try to get out of the line of fire. Evinger tries to pull guard, but Cyborg backs up and forces her to stand up. Cyborg lands a couple of right hands over the top in a clinch scramble. Evinger just misses with a one-two combo of her own. Cyborg connects with a big leg kick and just misses with a huge head kick. Evinger clinches up. She secures a trip that brings Cyborg to the mat, but she can’t establish top position. Cyborg gets to her feet and lands a huge knee. The action is stopped briefly when Evinger pokes Cyborg in the eye. Cyborg again just misses with a big head kick. Evinger lands a body kick, and Cyborg connects with one head kick. Evinger has done a good job of avoiding the big shots, but she isn’t mounting her own offense at all. Cyborg stuns Evinger with a big overhand right and lands a knee to the head right as the round comes to an end.

Round 2: Cyborg connects with another big head kick after about a minute of circling. Evinger throws a couple of overhands, but nothing lands. Cyborg connects with two straight lefts and a knee to the body. Evinger sneaks a short uppercut through when they separate. Evinger tries a big overhand and eats a powerful left straight for her troubles. Cyborg controls the action for the rest of the round, occasionally landing short shots, but nothing big.

Round 3: Cyborg lands another big leg kick. A heavy right hook from Cyborg makes Evinger stumble, then a head kick lands too. Evinger stumbles and falls down, but she recovers and invites Cyborg to go to the ground with her. Cyborg kicks her legs a few times, then forces a standup. Cyborg lands a few more times in the round, and eventually Evinger can’t take anymore. Cyborg lands three huge knees in the clinch, and a left hand on the ground is all the referee needs to see. He stops the fight, and Cyborg is a UFC champion.

Round 1: They touch gloves and Lawler comes out swinging huge, huge shots. Massive right hands land on Cerrone’s face, and Cerrone is overwhelmed. Cerrone has quite the chin, though, and he handles the big shots, including a knee in the clinch from Lawler. Cerrone has some swelling over his left eye already. Cerrone has weathered the initial storm, however. They clinch up, and Cerrone lands a couple of strong knees to the body while Lawler connects with a big uppercut. Cerrone just misses with a big head kick. Lawler connects with a knee to the head as Cerrone goes in low, and Cerrone throws a knee of his own that lands on the body. Cerrone manages to secure a takedown with two minutes to go in the round. Not much happens on the ground, and when they’re back up, Cerrone just misses with another huge head kick. He does land an elbow in the clinch that does some damage to Lawler. The round comes to an end.

Round 2: Cerrone connects with a big right hand early in the round and Lawler staggers. He recovers, though. Lawler tries for a head kick that Cerrone checks. Cerrone connects with another huge right elbow as they separate from an exchange. Cerrone fakes a takedown and as Lawler comes down to catch it, he eats a huge knee and a right hook. Cerrone is keeping Lawler at bay with a varied striking arsenal. Lawler wants the opportunity to explode forward again, but Cerrone isn’t allowing it due to the takedown attempts and kicks. Lawler comes in and eats a big short left hand and Cerrone swarms, trying to get a finish. He can’t get it, though, and just misses eating a haymaker from Lawler. The round comes to an end.

Round 3: Lawler lands a pair of good body kicks at the start of the round. Lawler’s corner is yelling at him to deliver more body shots. Lawler lands a right straight to the jaw and then a big left hook to the body. They clinch up for much of the round. Lawler is landing the more damaging shots in the round, consistently attacking the body. Near the end of the round Cerrone tells the referee there was an eye poke, but the action isn’t stopped. They exchange high kicks as the round and fight comes to an end. It’s a close fight, with Lawler taking the first, Cerrone the second and the third being relatively close.

Round 1: Oezdemir lands a powerful knee to the body as they clinch up. Manuwa gets Oezdemir up against the fence, but eats some short left hands and one of them stuns him. Manuwa is stumbling on his feet and Oezdemir unloads on him. It’s an uppercut and a short hook in the clinch, then another big left hand, as Manuwa tries to retreat. Manuwa goes down; Oezdemir lands a right hand but it’s not needed. The fight is stopped. A huge first-round knockout for Oezdemir!

Main Card

Light heavyweight: Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier via TKO at 3:01 of Round 3
Welterweight: Tyron Woodley def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
Women’s featherweight: Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino def. Tonya Evinger via TKO (knees and punches) at 1:56 of Round 3
Welterweight: Robbie Lawler def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Light heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir def. Jimi Manuwa via KO (punches) at 0:42 of Round 1

Preliminary Card

Featherweight: Ricardo Lamas def. Jason Knight via TKO at 4:34 of Round 1
Catchweight (140 lbs): Aljamain Sterling vs. Renan Barão (29-28, 29-27-30-26)
Featherweight: Brian Ortega def. Renato Moicano via submission (guillotine) at 2:59 of Round 3
Featherweight: Calvin Kattar def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Women’s strawweight: Alexandra Albu def. Kailin Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Jarred Brooks def. Eric Shelton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lightweight: Drew Dober def. Josh Burkman via KO (punch) at 3:04 of Round 1