UFC 145
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | April 21, 2012 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia , United States |
Area served | United States (Atlanta) |
| Products | Mixed martial arts fights |
| Website | www |
UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans was a mixed martial arts spectacle organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 21, 2012, hosted at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. This event marked the ninth UFC card of that calendar year.
Background
Initially planned for March 24, 2012, in Montreal, Canada, UFC 145 faced postponement due to challenges in finalizing a title fight and was subsequently rescheduled to take place on April 21 in Atlanta.
The event’s main attraction featured a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship contest between reigning champion Jon Jones and contender Rashad Evans, who were once training partners under coach Greg Jackson. Evans, an experienced fighter and integral part of Jackson’s team, had originally guided the younger Jones. However, their alliance eventually broke down into a widely publicized rivalry leading up to this matchup.
Evans had been slated to challenge then-titleholder Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 but had to withdraw due to injury. Jones stepped in as his replacement with Evans’ consent but later indicated his readiness to compete against Evans himself. This development was viewed by Evans as a breach of trust, prompting his exit from Jackson’s MMA camp to join Imperial Athletics in Florida.
Following UFC 128, Jones successfully defended his championship twice against former titleholders (Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida), while Evans secured victories over prominent opponents such as Tito Ortiz and Phil Davis. Their bout became one of the most eagerly awaited Light Heavyweight clashes since the iconic Chuck Liddell versus Tito Ortiz fights. Previous attempts to schedule their fight were thwarted by injuries sustained by both athletes.
Promotion for the headlining fight included the use of UFC Primetime.
Due to injury, Matt Wiman withdrew from his scheduled contest with Mark Bocek, leading to the return of veteran fighter John Alessio as his replacement.
In the Lightweight division, John Makdessi failed to make weight by two pounds for his fight against Anthony Njokuani. Consequently, he was fined 20% of his purse, with the bout proceeding at a catchweight of 158 lb.
Event
The card included twelve mixed martial arts contests, all overseen by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission and conducted according to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. Each bout was set for three rounds of five minutes, except for the headline championship fight between Jones and Evans, which was contested over five rounds. Two preliminary matches were broadcast via Facebook, while four others were shown on FX. The event drew an audience of 15,545 attendees and generated a gate revenue of $2.2 million. The pay-per-view sales totaled approximately 700,000 purchases.
Preliminary card
Out of six preliminary matchups, five extended through the full three rounds, concluding with judges’ decisions.
The opening fight pitted Maximo Blanco against Marcus Brimage, resulting in a split decision win for Brimage (30–27, 29–28, 28–29). After the bout, the competitors amused spectators by engaging in an impromptu backflip challenge.
Following that, Keith Wisniewski took on UFC newcomer Chris Clements. A disputed stand-up call occurred in the first round, after which Clements executed a spinning kick and controlled the third round with ground-and-pound strikes. He secured victory by split decision (30–27, 29–28, 28–29).
In the third contest, Mac Danzig earned a unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero (30–27, 30–27, 29–28), successfully defending against submission attempts while maintaining control throughout the fight.
Anthony Njokuani faced taekwondo expert John Makdessi, leveraging his reach and counter-striking skills to claim a unanimous decision victory (30–27).
Stephen Thompson battled Matt Brown, who thwarted takedown efforts and dominated with ground control and effective striking to win unanimously (30–27, 29–27, 30–27).
In a heavyweight showdown, Travis Browne achieved a submission win via arm triangle choke against Chad Griggs at 2:29 of the first round. Browne’s performance earned him the "Submission of the Night" award.
Main card
The initial match on the main card was a lightweight encounter between Mark Bocek and John Alessio. Bocek controlled the opening round through takedowns and powerful elbows, maintaining grappling dominance combined with precise striking. Both fighters appeared less active in round two; however, Bocek continued to assert control. In the third round, Bocek secured back mount with a body triangle but was unable to finish with a rear-naked choke as Alessio managed to escape. The fight concluded with Bocek winning by unanimous decision with judges scoring 30–27, 29–28, and 30–27.
The featherweight clash between Mark Hominick and Eddie Yagin featured intense exchanges throughout. Hominick recovered from a knockdown early in the fight and landed effective punches in round two despite absorbing heavy shots from Yagin. Both fighters showed toughness and bore visible damage by round three. The split decision went to Eddie Yagin (29–28, 28–29, 29–28). Both participants were awarded $65,000 "Fight of the Night" bonuses.
Results
{{MMAevent bout |Featherweight |Marcus Brimage |def. |Maximo Blanco |Decision (split) (28–29, 30–27, 29–28) |}
Bonus awards
The following athletes received bonuses of $65,000:
- Fight of the Night: Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin
- Knockout of the Night: Ben Rothwell
- Submission of the Night: Travis Browne
Reported fighter compensation
The disclosed fighter earnings, as submitted to the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, do not include sponsorship payments or UFC "fight night" bonuses:
- Jon Jones: $400,000 (no additional win bonus) defeated Rashad Evans: $300,000
- Rory MacDonald: $36,000 (comprising an $18,000 win bonus) defeated Che Mills: $12,000
- Ben Rothwell: $104,000 (including a $52,000 win bonus) defeated Brendan Schaub: $14,000
- Michael McDonald: $16,000 (with an $8,000 win bonus) defeated Miguel Torres: $32,000
- Eddie Yagin: $12,000 (featuring a $6,000 win bonus) defeated Mark Hominick: $17,000
- Mark Bocek: $46,000 (incorporating a $23,000 win bonus) defeated John Alessio: $10,000
- Travis Browne: $24,000 (includes a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Chad Griggs: $27,000
- Matt Brown: $36,000 (with an $18,000 win bonus) defeated Stephen Thompson: $8,000
- Anthony Njokuani: $24,000 (comprising a $12,000 win bonus) defeated John Makdessi: $12,000
- Mac Danzig: $54,000 (including a $27,000 win bonus) defeated Efrain Escudero: $10,000
- Chris Clements: $12,000 (featuring a $6,000 win bonus) defeated Keith Wisniewski: $10,000
- Marcus Brimage: $16,000 (with an $8,000 win bonus) defeated Maximo Blanco: $13,000