UFC 145

''UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was the 9th UFC event of the year, and took place on April 21, 2012 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Background

The headline fight at UFC 145 was a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship contest between champion Jon Jones and challenger Rashad Evans. Jones and Evans are former teammates at Jackson's MMA, under the tutelage of coach Greg Jackson. Evans was one of Jackson's most successful fighters, and was a core member of his training camp. Being in the same weightclass, and a long-time member of Jackson's MMA, the UFC veteran Evans naturally took the young and inexperienced fighter Jones under his wing. In the months leading to UFC 145, the two engaged in a bitter and public feud.

At UFC 128 (March 19, 2011), Evans was expected to fight for the Light Heavyweight title against then-champion Mauricio Rua. However, a knee injury forced Evans off of the card. Needing an opponent for Rua at UFC 128, the UFC offered Jones the match. Jones accepted, with Evans' blessing. Shortly afterwards, Jones stated in an interview with MMA reporter Ariel Helwani he would be willing to fight Evans if the UFC asked. Evans felt betrayed by his teammate and friend, starting a feud which forced Evans to leave Jackson's MMA. Evans then joined the Imperial Athletics camp in Florida.

Since UFC 128, Jones had defended his championship twice against former champions (Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida). Evans had defeated former champion Tito Ortiz, as well as Phil Davis, to setting the stage for "the most anticipated Light Heavyweight bout since Chuck Liddell fought Tito Ortiz". This was the third scheduled contest between the two. The first match was scrapped due to a hand injury to Jones, the second because of a thumb injury to Evans.

UFC Primetime returned to promote the main event.

Matt Wiman was expected to face Mark Bocek at this event, but was forced off the card with an injury and replaced by the returning John Alessio.

John Makdessi weighed in two pounds over the Lightweight limit. He was fined 20 percent of his purse, and his fight with Anthony Njokuani became a catchweight bout at 158 lb.

Event

The event consisted of twelve mixed martial arts bouts, sanctioned by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission and contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. All bouts were scheduled for three five-minute rounds except for the main event championship match between Jones and Evans, which was five five-minute rounds. Two of the preliminary fights were streamed on Facebook, and four were televised on FX. Attendance was 15,545, with a gate of $2,200,000. The pay-per-view buyrate was 700,000.

Preliminary card

All but one of the event's six preliminary fights went the full three rounds, ending in a decision.

The first bout of the evening was between Maximo Blanco and Marcus Brimage. After three uneventful rounds between the hesitant fighters, the judges scored the contest 29–28 Blanco, 30–27 Brimage, and 29–28 for the winner by split decision, Marcus Brimage. Immediately after the fight concluded, Blanco executed a backflip, which was mimicked by Brimage. The two fighters then engaged in an impromptu backflip competition to the delight of the fans.

In the second match, Keith Wisniewski took on UFC newcomer Chris Clements. In the first round, Wisniewski clinched and dragged Clements to the mat, and passed to full mount. Clements regained half guard as Wisniewski landed hard shots. With two minutes left in the round, referee Fernando Yamasaki issued a controversial stand-up order. Following the stand-up, Clements dropped Wisniewski with a turning kick to the body. Wisniewski recovered and the two traded punches shortly before the round ended. After a close second round, Clements controlled the third, landing powerful right hand punches and dropping Wisniewski with a knee. He closed out the fight with strong ground-and-pound as time expired, sending the fight to the judges for a decision. The judges scored the bout 29–28 Clements, 29–28 Wisniewski, and 30–27 for the winner by split decision, Chris Clements.

In the third bout, Mac Danzig fought Efrain Escudero. In the first round, Escudero unsuccessfully attempted a heel hook