Jones decisions Cormier to retain UFC light heavyweight belt

Daniel Cormier, right, kicks Jon Jones during their light heavyweight title mixed martial arts bout at UFC 182, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, in Las Vegas. AP

MANILA, Philippines — Pound-for-pound fighter Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title anew after defeating Daniel Cormier Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

All three judges Marcos Rosales, Cardo Urso and Tony Weeks had it, 49-46, for Jones, who extended his winning streak to 12.

The youngest UFC champion Jones, regarded as one of the best fighters ever, also retained his belt for eighth straight time.

Jones gained the edge with his kicks from all angles and his ability to take down Cormier.

Both fighters exchanged strikes throughout the first round, with Cormier pressing forward continuously. Cormier seized slight momentum in the second, continuing to stalk Jones while landing a number of punches.

Jones stood his ground in the third, mounting more of an attack to match Cornier as the two slugged it out. Jones continued the offensive in the fourth, taking down Cornier twice while limiting his ability to inflict much damage. Both men came out charged for the final round, but settled into a grappling match up against the cage for much of the round. Cormier excited the crowd with a slam with just under a minute to go, but neither fighter was able to finish the other.

In the co-main event, Donald Cerrone closed in on a lightweight title shot, unanimously outpointing Miles Jury. Cerrone improved to 26-6-1, and Jury dropped to 15-1.

Brad Tavares, Kyoji Horiguchi and Hector Lombard won the undercard. With a report from The Associated Press

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