Jon Jones may not be able to step into the Octagon until at least July 2017. But he’s not staying inactive while on the sidelines. Jones recently squared off with Dan Henderson in a submission match on Sunday, December 11.
Both men faced each other in the main event of Submission Underground 2. It is a grappling organization promoted by former UFC title fighter Chael Sonnen.
UFC 151 In A Grappling Match
Jones and Henderson were supposed to face each other at UFC 151 in September 2012. But the entire card was cancelled when Henderson was unable to fight due to injury. Jones refused to take a replacement fight against Sonnen.
It’s a match that fans will probably never see inside the Octagon.
After four years, Jones and Henderson finally met in a cage. In this scenario, striking is not allowed as the fighters are only allowed to grapple. Removing one aspect of the excitement, fans were still in for a treat.
Dan Henderson and The Giant Jon Jones
It was clear as soon as he stood across from Henderson that Jones was going to have a massive size advantage over the former middleweight title contender. He enjoyed a 31-pound weight advantage over his foe, crawled across the cage to start the match, and immediately pressed Henderson to the cage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fA0F6Ua0W8
Jones methodically improved his position while fending off an armbar attempt from Henderson on the bottom. From there, it was all Jones. He quickly passed Henderson’s guard on the ground before latching onto an arm triangle choke from the top.
A few moments later as Jones tightened his grip, Henderson had no choice but to tap out from the submission. The stoppage came at 6:39 in regulation.
Miesha Tate Wins Over Jessica Eye
Also on the Submission Underground 2 card, Miesha Tate returned to action following her retirement from MMA to defeat Jessica Eye in a grappling match. The bout served as a rematch of sorts. Tate earned a decision win over Eye under MMA rules at 2015’s UFC on FOX 16 event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnHLZ0Nk9jo
Tate earned a briefly controversial but ultimately very competitive contest with Eye. Tate deftly rolled to an armbar halfway through regulation and had her opponent’s limb extended. The match was stopped due to the submission.
Eye contended she didn’t tap, and the match was inexplicably restarted on the feet in a neutral position. Tate got the job done in the overtime period. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champ was able to win on criteria after escaping Eye’s submission attempts in quicker time.
