Jared Gordon says he “maybe” made the wrong decision to fight Rafa Garcia at UFC Noche on Saturday a day after being hit by a car.
The American lightweight, 37, was stopped in the third round by Mexican-American Garcia following a succession of elbows on the ground in San Antonio, Texas.
Gordon fought with a sleeve covering his knee before later revealing he had sprained a ligament a day earlier after being hit by a car.
“Two hours after weigh-ins I was standing in the street while a car was backing out behind me, I was looking down the street away from the car,” Gordon wrote on X., external
“The front end of the car started turning, and the right wheel ran my right foot over as the bumper started turning and buckled my knee inward, spraining my MCL (medial collateral ligament).
“I thought about pulling out, but decided not to. Was it the wrong decision? Maybe so. After a hard, good camp I didn’t wanna pull out. It is what it is. I’ll move forward. Sorry to all my fans for the performance.”
Gordon has fought 17 times in the UFC, winning nine bouts since debuting in the promotion in 2017.
LAS VEGAS — Ilia Topuria continued his ascension up the pound-for-pound ladder with a major statement via a vicious first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship Saturday night at UFC 317.
Topuria used a sharp right hand to set up a devastating left hook that dropped Oliveira to end the bout at the 2:27 mark of the opening round, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the announced crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.
“I always say I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts,” said Topuria, who closed a -400 favorite at BetMGM sportsbook.
Topuria (17-0), who now has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, moved up to the 155-pound weight class following a successful campaign in the featherweight division last year. He claimed that belt with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and defended his title by finishing Max Holloway in the third round of an October bout in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Topuria, who came in ranked fourth on UFC’s pound-for-pound list, joined nine others who have held a UFC belt in two weight classes. He is the first undefeated fighter to become champion in two UFC divisions.
“I think tonight was his big night,” UFC CEO and president Dana White said. “We have a star on our hands.”
Oliveira (35-11), who has the most finishes in UFC history, was hoping to become the first fighter to win the lightweight belt on separate occasions.
Fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett was in the audience and summoned to the ring, where a heated exchange led to Topuria shoving the eighth-ranked contender and igniting a rivalry from years ago.
“If you’re ready, I’m here,” Topuria shouted to Pimblett before he entered the ring.
White wasn’t happy with Pimblett getting in the ring, knowing the history of bad blood between the two.
The two have been at odds for some time, after they came to blows when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria’s head in 2022.
“That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that,” Pimblett said to Topuria. “But you will never knock me out.”
Replied Topuria: “I’m going to submit you.”
In the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) successfully defended his belt by applying a rear-naked chokehold to defeat Kai Kara-France (25-12) at the 1:55 mark of the third round.
It marked the second time the fighters met, nine years after their quarterfinal clash on the reality show “The Ultimate Fighter,” also won by Pantoja, but by unanimous decision.
Pantoja, who closed a -250 favorite and extended his win streak to eight fights, won the title two years ago when he beat Brandon Moreno by decision, and has now defended his title successfully four times.
Ilia Topuria celebrates after defeating Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317 Saturday in Las Vegas.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
The 35-year-old Brazilian was joined in the ring after his victory by No. 12 Joshua Van, who put on a show of his own.
Van (15-2-0) defeated No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (17-8-0) in a slugfest in which both fighters displayed incredible boxing skills. Van, who closed a -120 favorite, used an overhand right to drop Royval before closing out the bout with a severe ground-and-pound to secure the unanimous decision.
The 419 combined significant strikes landed were the third most in a UFC fight, and the most in both a three-round bout and a featherweight clash.
Moments after Pantoja’s win, Van challenged Pantoja with both standing nose to nose before exiting the octagon.
Other matches from the main card:
In a lightweight bout, No. 9 Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) survived a first-round knockdown to defeat No. 11 Renato Moicano (20-7-1) via unanimous decision.
In a bantamweight battle, Payton Talbott (10-1-0) used a much-improved ground game to register a unanimous decision over Felipe Lima (14-2-0).
Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Jon Jones has retired, and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been elevated to the undisputed title holder, Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president and CEO, confirmed.
“Jon Jones called us last night and retired,” White said during a news conference on Saturday in Azerbaijan, where UFC Fight Night was held.
“Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.”
Jones, who turns 38 on July 19, has compiled a win-loss record of 28-1 with 11 total knockouts (TKOs), capturing UFC titles at light heavyweight and heavyweight. He was in line for a highly anticipated unification bout with Aspinall, 32, who became the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion in November 2023 when an injured Jones could not fight.
Englishman Aspinall (15-3 win-loss in MMA, 11 TKOs, 8-1 win-loss in UFC) posted a message on Instagram after White’s announcement.
“For you fans. It’s time to get this heavyweight division going,” wrote Aspinall, 32. “An active undisputed champion.”
Jones last fought on November 16, 2024, winning by a third-round TKO over Stipe Miocic. Jones has won six consecutive bouts since a no contest with Daniel Cormier on July 29, 2017.
White’s announcement countered words of Jones on Thursday when he appeared on the “Full Send” podcast.
“I don’t want to say that I’m retired because fighting’s in my blood,” Jones said on the podcast, per multiple media reports. “Right now, I could really care less about fighting. I’ve been doing it my whole life at a very high level and when the itch comes back – and if it comes back too, then I’ll do it with my whole heart, do it to the best of my abilities.”
Jones has had a chequered history out of the octagon, where he became the youngest UFC title holder at age 23 with a win over Mauricio Rua for the 205-pound crown. Jones, who is 16-0 in UFC title bouts, has dealt with legal issues was well as a yearlong suspension in 2016 for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs – a result he disputes.
US President Donald Trump watched as Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on November 17, 2024, in New York [Evan Vucci/AP Photo]
Rountree Jr downs Hill in Baku
Meanwhile, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr earned a dominant unanimous decision against Jamahal Hill in the main event of the Fight Night, taking the cards 49-46, 50-45, 50-45.
Utilising leg kicks and knocking the former light heavyweight champion down on several occasions, Rountree Jr (15-6 win-loss in MMA) is open to multiple options for his next fight, as long as he remains in the light heavyweight title picture.
“I didn’t come in here underestimating Jamahal,” Rountree said.
Hill (12-4 win-loss in MMA) has lost three in a row and is searching for his first win since January 2023.
The co-main event went the way of hometown lightweight Rafael Fiziev (13-4 win-loss in MMA), winning a unanimous decision against Ignacio Bahamondes 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 for his first victory since July 2022. Fiziev’s striking ability made the difference, as it was the first loss for Bahamondes (17-6 win-loss in MMA) since August 2023. Fiziev does not prefer whom he fights next, as he entered the bout ranked 11th in the division.
Heavyweight Curtis Blaydes outlasted debutant Rizvan Kuniev, earning a split decision 29-28, 28-29, 29-28. Blaydes (19-5 win-loss in MMA) bounced back after falling victim to UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall last July at UFC 304.
In one of the most high-octane UFC fights in recent memory, lightweight Nazim Sadykhov overcame a Herculean effort from Nikolas Motta to secure a late second-round TKO at 4:17. Sadykhov was nearly finished by a plethora of Motta strikes in the first round before Sadykhov turned the fight around in the second. Sadykhov (11-1-1 win-loss MMA) has won 11 of his last 13 fights, landing a 75-punch combination to seal the deal. Motta (15-6 win-loss MMA) suffered his first loss since June 2023.
