The UFC’s prodigal son has returned. Jon Jones, once the youngest champion in UFC history, reclaimed his Light Heavyweight belt on Saturday July 29th at UFC 214 with a brutal knockout over his arch rival Daniel Cormier. Two and a half years of trash talking, tension, and testosterone came to a head in the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday night, and it did not disappoint.

Round 1 was a back and forth battle. In the first minute, Jones ate an uppercut from Cormier that sent his mouthpiece flying to the canvas. Later that round, Jones scored the first takedown of the fight, but it was short lived, as Cormier, the two-time Olympian in freestyle wrestling, popped right back up to his feet. Jones had some success with leg kicks in the first round, using his significant height and reach advantage to keep Cormier at a distance, but Cormier kept pressing forward. Cormier started to find his range toward the end of the round, driving Jones back up against the cage and landing a quick barrage of punches and forcing Jones into a clinch. As the round came to a close, Cormier threw a right hand that landed cleaner than any strike in the fight thus far. It was starting to appear as though the momentum was in Cormier’s favor. Overall, the round was incredibly close and difficult to call. To declare the round a draw would have been totally reasonable, but I’d have given the edge to Cormier, if only by a hair, based on the fact that he appeared to be the aggressor for the majority of the round, and landed what appeared to be the harder, more significant strikes to the head. That said, Jones did not appear rusty or uncomfortable, as some had suggested he might after such a long absence from fighting. Instead, Round 1 of Cormier vs Jones 2 rightly looked like the continuation of their first fight, as if the two fighters had picked up right where they left off.

Round 2 began with an even exchange of strikes between the two fighters, before an accidental head butt paused the fight temporarily. Referee John McCarthy brought in the doctor to look at Cormier, who received a small cut from the incident. The cut was small, and the blood wasn’t finding it’s way into Cormier’s eyes, so the fight was allowed to resume. Cormier, now with perhaps an increased sense of urgency due to the cut, starts to push the action. Cormier lands a quick one-two, and starts shaking his head at Jones as if to say “You’ve got nothing for me.” The two fighters clinch in the center of the octagon, take eachother to the ground, and pop back up in a matter of seconds. Jones lands a few strikes in the last minute and Cormier responds with some taunting, before landing his own hard right hand. Once again, Cormier looks to have the momentum in another close round, giving him the edge in my book.

Round 3 opened with Jones delivering some hard knees to the body of Cormier, who responded with a left hook that lands. As the two separate, Cormier presses forward, continuing his trend in the fight. Then Jones, creeping backward slowly as Cormier prods forward, throws a high left kick. Shin meets temple with the force of a baseball bat on a fastball and Cormier stumbles. Jones, who has been on his heels for most of the fight, now smells blood. Killer instinct takes over, and Jones charges the reeling Cormier, who tries desperately to defend himself from an onslaught of punches and elbow. Jones connects with the ground-and-pound, and Referee John McCarthy steps in to save Cormier from further punishment.

Jones was gracious in victory, thanking Cormier for motivating him, and declaring Cormier a true champion, now and always. The victory solidifies Jones for many as the greatest mixed martial artist in the world, perhaps of all time. Through turmoil and adversity, mostly self-inflicted, Jones has risen to reclaim his title as the most dangerous man in the world. What comes next is unclear. Jones called out former UFC Heavyweight Champion and WWE star Brock Lesnar after his win, setting the stage for a potential showdown between the two athletic freaks. Lesnar is ineligible to fight until next summer most likely, though, and UFC President Dana White has stated that Jones will fight someone before then. Who that will be remain to be seen, although a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson would seem the obvious answer. When the two fought for the first time, the result was a spectacular back and forth battle that lasted five rounds and received Fight of the Night honors. Gustafsson is coming off a fifth round KO of former title contender Glover Teixeira.

Full UFC 214 Results:

Main Card

Jon Jones def. Daniel Cormier via third-round TKO (3:01)

Tyron Woodley def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision

Cris Cyborg def. Tonya Evinger via third-round TKO (1:56)

Robbie Lawler def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision

Volkan Oezdemir def. Jimi Manuwa via first-round KO (0:22)

Undercard

Ricardo Lamas def. Jason Knight via first-round TKO (4:34)

Aljamain Sterling def. Renan Barao via unanimous decision

Brian Ortega def. Renato Moicano via submission (guillotine) (R3, 2:59)

Calvin Kattar def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision

Alexandra Albu def. Kailin Curran via unanimous decision

Jarred Brooks def. Eric Shelton via split decision

Drew Dober def. Josh Burkman via first-round KO (3:04)