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46 minutes ago
Wales’ Mason Jones recovered from an early knockdown to stop Bolaji Oki in the second round of their lightweight contest at UFC Paris.
Jones, 30, took control of the bout after the early scare, dominating on the ground to eventually finish the contest with a number of unanswered strikes.
The victory continues a triumphant return to the UFC for Jones, who beat Jeremy Stephens in May after nearly three years away from the promotion.
“I don’t think I was hurt, I started slow. It happens, but I put it on him. He slowed down and I didn’t,” said Jones.
“The wrestling was plan B. I like to cause damage – I would have liked to stay standing for a bit longer, but he wanted to wrestle so I showed him how to wrestle.”
Jones lost two of his three fights during his first stint in the UFC, but after a spell in Cage Warriors, has returned more assured with two impressive victories.
Following the retirement of Jack Shore last year, Jones is now spearheading Welsh MMA in the UFC, in front of welterweight Oban Elliott and strawweight Cory McKenna.
After refusing to touch gloves with Belgian Oki at the start of the fight, Jones was on the receiving end of some huge punches, before finding himself defending on the ground.
He got back to his feet and avoided more damage, before taking control as Oki started to slow down.
Jones knocked the 29-year-old down before engaging on the canvas and almost finishing the contest with a kimura.
Oki survived, but he could not fend off Jones in the second round as he secured a takedown before ending the fight with a number of strikes on the ground.
In the main event, France’s Nassourdine Imavov beat Brazil’s Caio Borralho by unanimous decision, before calling for a title shot against Russian champion Khamzat Chimaev.
McKee loses but Patterson earns streak KO
Getty ImagesElsewhere on the main card, Ballymena’s Rhys McKee lost to France’s Axel Sola in the third round.
In a back-and-forth contest, Sola dropped McKee with a body shot, before the referee stopped the contest on the ground.
McKee protested the stoppage after seeming to recover quickly, but the defeat leaves the 29-year-old with five defeats from six UFC fights.
It was a bitter blow for the welterweight, whose momentum has been halted once more after earning his first UFC win against Daniel Frunza in April.
On the undercard, Britain’s Sam Patterson continued the impressive start to his UFC career as a flurry of punches stopped American Trey Waters in the first round.
The victory was Patterson’s fourth consecutive first-round finish which is the current longest streak in the UFC.
Fellow Briton Harry Hardwick suffered defeat, however, as a series of leg kicks from Kaue Fernandes left the 30-year-old unable to continue.
Hardwick, who is the Cage Warriors featherweight champion, was making his UFC debut and took the bout at only five days’ notice.
There was also defeat for Ireland’s Shauna Bannon as she submitted to a rear-naked choke by Sam Hughes in the second round of their strawweight contest.
