Sunday 30 July 2017 10:37, UK
Jon Jones marked his return to the octagon with a devastating third-round knockout of Daniel Cormier in their much-anticipated rematch at UFC 214.
Defending light heavyweight champion Cormier looked on course to avenge his unanimous decision defeat to Jones at UFC 182 after appearing to take the opening two rounds in Anaheim.
However, Jones - who originally held the undisputed title from 2011 to 2015 - produced a stunning head kick in the third round which eventually forced the referee to call a halt to the fight with Jones raining down punches on his prone opponent.
Jones (23-1) regains the light heavyweight belt just two years after he was first stripped of the title following his involvement in a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
"I made it back," Jones told the UFC after the fight. "It's such a beautiful moment. I did a lot of right things to get back in this position. Anybody at home who let yourself down, you let your family down, you let your parents down or your co-workers down, you let yourself down, it's never over.
"As long as you never quit, it's never over. I'm back here."
Cormier, whose MMA record now reads 19-2, struggled to come to terms with the manner of his defeat in the post-fight interview.
"I thought the fight was going well, I don't even know what happened," said Cormier. "They said I got kicked in the head.
"That was so disappointing. I guess if you win both fights, there is no rivalry."
Meanwhile on the undercard in California, British fighter Jimi Manuwa suffered a shock first-round knock-out defeat to Switzerland's Volkan Oezdemir, while Tyron Woodley defeated Demian Maia by unanimous decision.
