This was published 7 years ago
UFC 197: Australian Robert Whittaker defeats Rafael Natal in middleweight bout
By Matt Bungard
Australian middleweight Robert Whittaker shook off a barrage of blows and a broken hand to take a points victory over Brazilian Rafael Natal at UFC 197.
Sydney-raised Whittaker, 25, lifted his UFC record to seven wins and two losses with the win, which was his fifth consecutive triumph.
After a right hook to Natal's head damaged his hand early on, "The Reaper" remained in the ascendancy for all three rounds despite copping a barrage of leg kicks which left him barely able to walk by the end of the contest.
"I was looking for the finish the whole time, but he is a very tough guy," Whittaker said after the fight. "I think he knew I wasn't going to let him take me down, so he had to stand with me. I broke my hand early. My leg is a bit sore, too. I should've checked some of those kicks, but I got the win so it's all good."
Winning streak: Robert Whittaker hits Rafael Natal during what became his fifth straight win in the UFC.Credit: AP
Whittaker is the seventh-ranked contender in the UFC Middleweight rankings, where the belt is held by Luke Rockhold.
Born in New Zealand, Whittaker fights out of the Sydney suburb of Menai and was formerly a contestant on the UFC's reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, where he emerged victorious, winning the final of the tournament on the Gold Coast against British fighter Brad Scott.
In the main event of the evening, Jon Jones made a winning return to the octagon on Saturday, on a night where the Ultimate Fighting Championship's two best combatants solidified their status at the top of mixed martial arts.
Jones, after nearly 16 months without action, shook off some early rust to convincingly defeat Ovince Saint Preux at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, courtesy of a unanimous points decision.
Slug fest: Ovince Saint Preux, left, and Jon Jones trade blows.
The UFC had been rocked in recent times by seeing some of its biggest stars - including Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey - fall on the receiving end of major upsets. Such an outcome never looked likely this times around, with pound-for-pound No.1 Jones and No. 2 Demetrious Johnson showing they are ranked at the top of the tree for a reason.
Earlier, Johnson retained his flyweight championship with a technical knockout of 2008 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo, the fight being stopped at 2:49 of the opening round. Johnson changed the contest with a ferocious knee to Cejudo's chin and quickly finished things off.
Jones was always not at this imperious best against Saint Preux, a late replacement for light heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier, but was rarely troubled. Always in control, he subjected Saint Preux to heavy punishment in the latter half of round four and won every round of each of the judges' scorecards.
A main event slot at UFC 200, the organisation's historic showcase event in the summer, may now beckon, as Jones bids to reclaim from Daniel Cormier the light heavyweight belt he relinquished due to legal troubles stemming from a hit-and-run incident.
With USA Today