Editorial

Jones wins split decision to retain title at UFC 239

The main event of UFC 239 featured champion Jon Jones defending his lightheavyweight title against top contender Thiago ‘Marreta’ Santos.

Kirik Jenness

July 7, 2019 · 1 min read

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The main event of UFC 239 featured champion Jon Jones defending his lightheavyweight title against top contender Thiago ‘Marreta’ Santos. The fight headlined a five-fight main card that aired exclusively on PPV through ESPN+.

Jon Jones is still the UFC light heavyweight champion but he had a battle on his hands for all five rounds with upstart contender Thiago Santos.

Jones had to endure a heavy-handed attack from the Brazilian but in the end he eked out the victory with a split decision in his favor. The judges scored the fight 48-47 two times for Jones with the third official giving Santos the nod by a 48-47 score after five hotly contested rounds on Saturday night.

The fight ultimately went in Jones’ favor thanks to constant pressure and a technical kickboxing attack that put Santos on his back foot for nearly all 25 minutes.

Thiago Santos is a black belt in Muay Thai. I’m proud of myself actually. I stood and fought with a guy who’s been kickboxing way longer than me, Jones said after his latest title defense. I felt like I was winning. There was no need to go for a show, we were playing a very high level chess match in there. I think he made me look bad.

source: mmafighting.com

Official Result: Jon Jones defeated Thiago Santos by Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

Official Scorecard