Today in MMA history: Jon Jones batters ‘Shogun’ to become youngest champ in UFC history

On March 19, 2011, 23-year-old Jon Jones brutalized UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Rua to become the youngest titleholder in UFC history. But for Jones, it was only the start of a wild ride that at times spun out of control.

(Editor’s note: This story originally published on March 19, 2018.)

If you want to tell the story of the time [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] became the youngest champion in UFC history, you have to start with the dog. Its name was B.J., a seven-month-old German Shepard mix, and it was a somewhat recent acquisition for Jones when he showed up in Newark, N.J., for his crack at [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s UFC light-heavyweight title on March 19, 2011.

The kinds of places Jones was going that week – fancy hotels, TV show sets, hotel ballrooms converted into UFC workout spaces – are probably not the sort of places where you’re supposed to bring your dog.

Still, there he was in the lobby of Penn Station Hilton on St. Patrick’s Day, dodging fans and drunks and leading this dog around on a leash, smiling like a man who was enjoying the extra privileges that come with being a star, confident that no one would dare tell him he couldn’t bring a dog in here.

But the whole star thing was still new to Jones back then. He was just 23, slightly less than three years removed from his professional debut in a sport he was now on the precipice of conquering, and an injury to a teammate had opened the final door.

It had been a whirlwind couple months for Jones. In February he easily dispatched Ryan Bader via second-round submission on the undercard of UFC 126. He was still in the cage celebrating the victory when UFC commentator Joe Rogan told him the news. With [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] pulling out of his title fight against champion “Shogun” Rua, the UFC wanted Jones to step in a little over a month later.

That was just fine by Jones, who seemed to view even his teammate’s misfortune as just another inevitable step in the divine plan to put a UFC title around his waist. It was all working out exactly like it was supposed to, and the MMA prodigy who shouted out Bible verses after his effortless victories couldn’t have been happier about it.

For the light heavyweight duo of Jones and Evans, however, this was the beginning of the end, the first signs of a fracture that would soon lead to a split.

Ever since Jones had first come to the Jackson-Wink MMA gym, where former champ Evans was the top man at light heavyweight, these persistent questions had gnawed at both of them. Would they fight each other some day? Was it inevitable, with Jones rocketing up the ranks and Evans always hanging around at or near the top?

Evans assumed the role of mentor. His advice to the younger Jones: Don’t even entertain those questions. Don’t let yourself start talking about it. Shut it down before it even starts, just like Evans had done with longtime friend and training partner Keith Jardine. Refuse to discuss it even as a hypothetical.

Jones listened, for a time. But soon it became increasingly clear that he wasn’t going to be content to play the role of the student for very long. He saw himself as a champion – and soon. When a knee injury took Evans’ title shot and made it Jones’, it only seemed to confirm for him that he was a special fighter, a chosen one. All he had to do was show up in Newark and beat a man whose fights he’d grown up watching and studying.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Jon Jones at UFC 128 weigh-ins.

But it must be said that, even then, the champion wasn’t the man he used to be. Time had been cruel to “Shogun.” Six years earlier he’d won two fights in one night, knocking out both Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona to win the PRIDE FC middleweight grand prix at Final Conflict 2005. That put him in the conversation whenever the topic turned to the world’s best 205-pounders, but his transition to the UFC was a rough one.

Rua struggled to bounce back from injuries and regain his earlier form, and he lost his UFC debut to Forrest Griffin in 2007 and then barely bested Mark Coleman in a performance that made both men look worn and spent. But a knockout win over a fading Chuck Liddell in 2009 helped put him back on the right track, and after losing a controversial decision to then-champion Lyoto Machida in his first UFC title shot, Rua rebounded with a first-round knockout win in the rematch.

Still, Rua was an old 29 when he showed up to defend his belt for the first time. Evans would have been a stiff enough test, but Jones? He was bigger, stronger, faster and younger. Making the media rounds before the fight, the young challenger bragged about his fresh, injury-free body. He could jump up in the air, do a cartwheel if he felt like it, and unlike the champion his joints didn’t creak like an old ship stuck in the ice. Wasn’t that nice?

“You know what, I thought ‘Shogun’ was cool when I was younger because he was a 23-year old PRIDE champ, and I love Jose Aldo because he’s a 23-year old UFC champion,” Jones said before the bout. “I’m definitely not afraid of it. I know it’s very possible. Right now, I just need to keep the people close to me that’s always been there and realize that there’s going to be a lot more distractions coming my way, but I’m prepared for it mentally. And I promise myself that I won’t allow myself to fall by the wayside. I’m way too close to my dreams to slow down or start doing anything dumb, and I won’t do anything dumb. I’m going to win this fight.”

Jon Jones before his fight vs. “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128.

The event was set for Newark, largely because it was as close to New York City as the UFC could get at the time. The sport wouldn’t be legal and regulated in the Empire State until 2016, but the Prudential Center was just a short train ride away for the roughly eight million residents of the five boroughs, which would have to be good enough for now.

At the same time, it was impossible not to notice that this wasn’t exactly Manhattan. Earlier in the week, UFC officials reminded fighters that Newark probably wasn’t a city they wanted to go wandering around alone in at night, even if they were professional tough guys. As if to solidify that point, Jones made headlines the day of the fight by chasing down and apprehending a man who he said he saw breaking into a parked car to steal a GPS.

As if the young challenger didn’t already have enough of a Superman vibe going on, now he was fighting crime on the same day he was set to fight for the title. It wasn’t exactly a positive omen for Rua.

The ill portents carried over into the fight itself. Rua showed up in the cage that night looking solid and focused, clearly in better shape than he’d been for his early UFC fights, but it only took a matter of seconds for Jones to remind him that there was a significant gap between them when it came to athleticism, as well as sheer youthful exuberance.

After a tentative touch-up in the center of the cage, Jones hammered Rua with a jumping knee to the body, then backed off and showed his range by extending his leg seemingly from one side of the cage to the other for a couple of quick kicks. Within 30 seconds of the fight’s beginning, Jones was mixing up wild spinning attacks with forceful trip takedowns. Rua was falling behind and starting to look increasingly lost.

After getting pelted with elbows on the mat for most of the opening round, Rua worked to his feet against the fence, paying the price with knees to the body and a long left hook from Jones that wobbled his legs.

“He’s just having his way with ‘Shogun,’” UFC commentator Joe Rogan said after that one-sided first round.

Jon Jones batters “Shogun” Rua during their fight at UFC 128.

It only got worse in the second round, and Jones finally landed the spinning back elbow he’d been looking for in the first. Rua was bloodied and slowing down, swinging wide punches from the outside as he struggled to get in close against the lanky challenger, and then getting tagged by lefts when he stayed at distance

“My goodness,” UFC commentator Mike Goldberg said just before Jones took Rua down again and brutalized him some more on the mat. It was more or less all that needed to be said about a title fight that was increasingly resembling an instance of elder abuse.

The end came, finally, in the third. After getting hammered with punches and elbows while stuck on his back in the early part of the round, a dazed and battered Rua staggered to his feet, retreating toward the fence as Jones closed in. The right side of his face was swollen. He took deep, labored breaths as he raised his arms to cover his face.

Jones dove in with a left hook to the liver, followed by a knee to the head. Rua collapsed in a heap, meekly tapping the mat as referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop it.

“It is all over!” Goldberg boomed. “Jon Jones is the youngest champion in UFC history!”

Jones walked slowly to the center of the cage, long arms out at his sides, then let himself fall to his back before sitting up cross-legged in the cage, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

“And it wasn’t even a struggle,” Rogan said. “Incredible. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the future. He is the present, and he is the future, and he might be the greatest talent that we’ve ever seen in the UFC.”

But almost as soon as Jones had finished shouting out his coaches and his savior in his post-fight interview, the UFC was ready to focus on the next fight. Rogan had just finished interviewing Rua, who congratulated Jones on the win, explaining simply, “he was better than me,” when suddenly there was Evans, looking dapper in a finely tailored suit as the crowd booed him and the smile disappeared from Jones’ face.

“He’s taught me many things, and it sucks that I have to do this,” Jones said when Rogan told him that Evans was first in line for a crack at his title. “But this is my dream.”

After leaving the cage that night, Evans declared himself “done with Jackson’s,” making official the split with his team and teammate that had been slowly boiling for weeks.

But for all the drama over that matchup, it would take one more year and two more successful title defenses for Jones before they finally ended up in the cage together.

By then, Jones wasn’t the kid whose dreams came true anymore. Instead he was the dominant champion, the king of the light heavyweight class. As Evans and everyone else would come to learn, the only person who could stop him was Jones himself.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

“Today in MMA History” is an MMAjunkie series created in association with MMA History Today, the social media outlet dedicated to reliving “a daily journey through our sport’s history.”

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2023 MMA retirement tracker: A list of former UFC champions, legends and more who hung up the gloves

The MMA world already has said goodbye to many retiring fighters in 2023, from former UFC champions to icons of the sport.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.

2023 has seen an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).

Mission accomplished: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua explains why he’s at peace with retirement after UFC 283 loss

“Shogun” comfortably sits a retired fighter with little disappointment, despite a loss in his final MMA fight.

RIO DE JANEIRO – The MMA career of the legendary [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] is in the rear-view mirror. “Shogun” comfortably sits a retired fighter with little disappointment, despite a loss in his final MMA fight.

Saturday at UFC 283, Rua (27-14-1 MMA, 11-12-1 UFC) was finished with strikes by promotional sophomore Ihor Potieria (19-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the first round. The storybook ending unceremoniously went up in flames, but only for a moment. “Shogun” said he enters retirement peacefully and knows he accomplished what he set out to do more than two decades ago.

“Even though I lost, I really feel a sense of having my mission accomplished of fulfilling my duties because for 21 years, I gave my most,” Rua told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a post-fight news conference. “I left everything in the rings and octagons and gave it my all. Sometimes, (a loss) happens. I feel relieved and fulfilled in a sense of accomplishment because I did my best and it was a long career. The only thing I can do is to do my best.”

From the time he debuted in 2002 through his final in-cage competition Saturday at Jeunesse Arena, Rua built a large fanbase of loyal supporters, which included many of his peers. He felt the love in defeat, which meant the world to him.

“I think for us fighters, this is our biggest source of motivation – to have the support from the fans,” Rua said. “Obviously, I was sad with the loss. But soon after that, I got energized by the fans with all their heart-warming celebration, the support that they gave me after the fight. This is really what drives us and it made me feel good because I always treated the fans very kindly. I love my fans. To feel the support back made things feel better for sure.”

Many fans and pundits think Rua’s next stop will be the UFC Hall of Fame in the fighter wing. He already is a Hall of Famer in the fight wing for his 2011 fight against Dan Henderson at UFC 139.

A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Rua’s success extends back farther than his initial signing with the promotion. A fruitful stint in PRIDE, including a grand prix tournament victory, preceded his UFC debut.

Wins in the cage are one thing, but Rua likes to think his impact extends beyond entertainment, shiny belts and athletic feats. What “Shogun” seemingly is most proud of is the way he carried himself as a person outside the cage.

“The legacy I want to leave and the way I want to be remembered is as a great person, a good model inside the octagon, as well as outside the octagon,” Rua said. “For us fighters, I think this is very important. This is really what I think fighters should put across and what I try to put across through this whole time: I try to be a good person, both as a professional athlete inside the octagon, but also as a normal person outside the octagon.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.

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UFC 283 post-event facts: Jamahal Hill sets striking record in bloody title win

According to the numbers, Jamahal Hill delivered a record-setting beatdown of Glover Teixeira to claim gold at UFC 283.

The first numbered UFC event of 2023 proved to be a good one. Two new champions were crowned Saturday at UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

The main event of the organization’s return to Brazil after nearly three years saw [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) deliver a lopsided beatdown of [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (33-9 MMA, 16-7 UFC) to win a unanimous decision and claim the vacant light heavyweight champion.

In the co-headliner, [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-5-2 MMA, 9-2-2 UFC) proved to be the better man to [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (21-3-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) when he produced a sensational showing for the third-round doctor’s stoppage TKO to become undisputed flyweight champ and win their rivalry 2-1-1.

For more on the numbers behind both title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 283.

UFC 283 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $15 million

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 283 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,500.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 283 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 283 took place at Jeunesse Arena in Brazil. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC and ESPN+.

The full UFC 283 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Shamil Abdurakhimov[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Luan Lacerda[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Josiane Nunes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Saimon Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $496,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $15,015,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.

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UFC 283 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 283 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Rio de Janeiro.

RIO DE JANEIRO – UFC 283 took place Saturday with 15 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner and guest fighter interviews from Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

You can hear from all the UFC 283 winners and more by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

Twitter reacts to Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua’s retirement fight loss at UFC 283

The MMA community said farewell to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua after his retirement-fight loss at UFC 283.

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] closed out his career on a low Saturday when he was defeated by Ihor Potieria at UFC 283.

Rua (27-14-1 MMA, 11-12-1 UFC), the former UFC and PRIDE grand prix champion better known as “Shogun,” suffered a loss in his retirement fight. Potieria (20-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) beat him by first-round TKO in their featured prelim fight at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

After putting together a UFC Hall of Fame resume, the MMA community said farewell to Rua at UFC 283.

UFC 283 results: Mauricio Rua finished by Ihor Potieira in MMA retirement bout

It was an unceremonious ride into the sunset for MMA legend “Shogun.”

RIO DE JANEIRO – Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] ended his competitive MMA career on a loss Saturday in his home country.

“Shogun” Rua (27-14-1 MMA, 11-12-1 UFC) was defeated by Ukrainian Dana White’s Contender Series signee Ihor Potieira (19-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) when he was clipped and finished with punches at 4:05 of Round 1. The light heavyweight bout closed out the UFC 283 preliminary card at Jeunesse Arena.

A right hand marked the beginning of the end for Rua, who dropped to his knees. He eventually rose back up only to be dropped again by Potieira. While Rua was not knocked unconscious, his lack of self-defense caused referee Herb Dean to stop the fight – and Jeunesse Arena to go dead silent.

Seemingly the only noise in the venue, was celebration from Potieira, who did a DX crotch-chop, before he appeared to make a gun hand gesture and a finger-wag.

“I’m sorry, you guys,” Rua said, on the microphone after the bout. “I wanted to end my career with a win, but I’m going to stop in right here. I’m going to end my career here. I’ve been in the game 21 years and in the UFC for 16. I have to thank my fans, Dana, Lorenzo, everyone in the UFC that made it happen through all the years.”

“Shogun” Rua rides off into the sunset on a loss, a small blemish on a lengthy and legendary resume. For two decades, Rua competed against the world’s best. From his early days in PRIDE against the likes of Alistair Overeem, Kevin Randleman, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, to his reign as UFC light heavyweight champion, Rua built himself into one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of the weight class.

UFC victories include a title win over Lyoto Machida in May 2010, as well as wins over Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Forrest Griffin, Corey Anderson, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira among others.

In recent years, Rua put forth more inconsistent results with a 5-4-1 record in his final 10 MMA bouts. He exits the UFC – and MMA – on a three-fight skid.

With the victory, Potieira bounces back from a TKO loss to Nicolae Negumereanu in July during his UFC debut. Potieira has won 16 of his most recent 17 bouts.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 283 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.

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Ihor Potieria was in disbelief when he got call to fight legend ‘Shogun’ Rua

Ihor Potieria feels blessed to be fighting ‘Shogun’ Rua.

RIO DE JANEIRO – [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] knows he’s fighting someone that’s in the MMA history books.

The UFC rookie is taking on one of the most respected and legendary names still active in MMA – [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]. Potieria (18-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is scheduled to take on ‘Shogun’ (27-13-1 MMA, 11-11-1 UFC) in the final preliminary bout of UFC 283 on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s Rua’s retirement fight from MMA.

Potieria admitted at Wednesday’s media day that he was in disbelief when he got the call to fight a living legend, it took him a while to process the idea.

“I was actually sleeping and my manager Ali Abdelaziz called me and said, ‘You’re fighting ‘Shogun,”” Potieria said recalling the moment he found out he was fighting the Brazilian. “I was kind of sleeping still and said, ‘Wait, who is that?,’ and then once I came to it, I realized, ‘No way God gave me such a chance to fight such a legend.'”

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Potieria, 26, has been watching Rua fight since he was a young teenager. He’s very grateful to get the opportunity to share the cage with a former UFC champion and Pride FC star. He once joked about potentially fighting ‘Shogun’ when he was young and he think it’s crazy that came to fruition.

“I was 16 years old when I started training and maybe after like a month of training, I saw a video on YouTube that said, ‘The most dangerous fighter in the world,’ and it said ‘Shogun’ Rua,” Potieria said. “I was messing with my boys and I said maybe one day I’ll fight him. And they were like, ‘Yeah, right. You’ve been training for four months. Slow down.’

“But eventually, with the right training and if you keep going, you create these opportunities for yourself. With God’s help and with the right energy, it is me now who has to fight him on Saturday, and I’m very happy for this chance.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.

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