Jon Jones overcame an early threat by Vitor Belfort to defend his UFC 152 light heavyweight title match, but it may have come at a cost.
Jones was caught in an armbar by Belfort in the second minute of the fight, and he said doctors feared he may have suffered some nerve damage in his biceps as a result.
Belfort had the armbar locked and was cranking it for about 15 seconds before Jones escaped. Jones said after the fight that he refused to submit and that he was prepared to have his arm broken.
“It was popping. After 25 years, I’ve never felt that feeling before,” he said in his post-fight press conference. “I just came to terms with what was going to happen.”
“I honestly was waiting for it to break,” Jones told Joe Rogan. “I was not going to tap out. But man, I’ll tell you what, I’ve never felt that before. I’ve got a lot of resting with it to do.”
Belfort said post-fight that he eased his hold when he was about to break Jones’ arm, like he didn’t have the heart to go through with the brutal move. Jones was able to recover to win the fight despite the injured limb.
“It just felt numb. It was a really numb feeling. It definitely didn’t feel powerful at all,” he said.
Jones officially won by a fourth-round submission via americana. Somehow he didn’t let his severely injured arm keep him from dominating the rest of the way. Maybe that’s because he was able to do so much damage with his uninjured left elbow.
It was a strong showing for Jones who undoubtedly will need some time to heal after overcoming a scare from the Brazilian. Jones is now 17-1 and has won eight fights in a row.
