MMA Fighting · Jul 7, 2019
UFC 239 results: Jon Jones edges out Thiago Santos by split decision in back and forth battle
Esther Lin, MMA FightingJon Jones is still the UFC light heavyweight champion but he had a battle on his hands for all five rounds with upstart contender Thiago Santos.
Jones had to endure a heavy-handed attack from the Brazilian but in the end he eked out the victory with a split decision in his favor. The judges scored the fight 48-47 two times for Jones with the third official giving Santos the nod by a 48-47 score after five hotly contested rounds on Saturday night.
The fight ultimately went in Jones’ favor thanks to constant pressure and a technical kickboxing attack that put Santos on his back foot for nearly all 25 minutes.