Fighters point to Marreta's victory over Jon Jones at UFC 239

T. Marreta (left) hits J. Jones (right) in the UFC 239. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @UFC

The duel between the champion Jon Jones and the Brazilian Thiago Marreta has been giving something to talk about. The five-round battle that took place last Saturday (6), for UFC 239, in Las Vegas, generated disagreements among the press and MMA athletes regarding the result being declared in favor of the North American. Chael Sonnen, Douglas lima, among others, saw Rio's victory over the legend of mixed martial arts.

See too

After watching Luke Rockhold lose, Dana advises athlete: 'You should retire'

After destroying Askren, Masvidal says: 'It wasn't personal. It was just a beating'

Jon Jones praises Muppet's performance: 'He's the strongest guy I've faced'

It wasn't this time that MMA enthusiasts were able to see the fall of a great champion. Jon Jones Last weekend, he had one of his toughest fights, facing an opponent who did not shy away from his size and undeniable talent. After five rounds, the judges chose to give, in a split decision, the victory to 'Bones', however, one of the three judges signaled the Brazilian's triumph.

After the official announcement, several martial arts personalities used social media to express their opinions on the result of the confrontation. Chael Sonnen, recently retired from the sport, and the former welterweight champion (up to 77kg.) of Bellator, Douglas lima gave their opinions on the fight.

“And the new champion,” Sonnen posted on his official Twitter account, suggesting that Marreta had won the fight.

“Thiago Santos won”, he wrote Douglas lima.

the veteran Josh thomson, former Strikeforce lightweight (up to 70,3kg) champion, who also played in Ultimate and Bellator, also saw an advantage in the carioca's performance over Jon.

“I saw Marreta winning the first, second and fifth round. And you?” typed the North American. With the combined experience of the experienced athlete, Thiago would emerge victorious in the fight.

At bantamweight (up to 61,2kg.) Sarah Kaufman, ex-UFC and currently Invicta athlete, also saw the advantage of the athlete from Cidade de Deus (RJ) over Jones. For her, Thiago won three of the five rounds fought and didn't see much action from Jon in the last stage.

“I think Santos (Marreta) won 3-2. It was a very balanced fight, but I think Thiago did enough and Jon (Jones) was a little passive, especially in the fifth round, when he thought he had an advantage in the fight”, commented the Canadian.

Other celebrities in the fighting world, despite not confirming their victories for the Brazilian, recognized the athlete's achievement, who was one of the only ones in history to offer real danger to 'Bones' during five rounds.

The former UFC lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos He did not shy away from giving his opinion on the fight and, despite not claiming victory for his compatriot, he reported that, if it had not been for the Brazilian's knee injury, he could have won the fight.

“Muplet is a beast. If it weren't for the knee injury, he could have won. A big fight. Jones fought safely”, published Dos Anjos.

The giant Jimi Manuwa, recently retired from MMA and one of Marreta's last victims, also took to Twitter to congratulate the Brazilian for his performance against the champion.

“Much respect to Thiago for a great performance”, wrote the veteran.

The former featherweight champion (up to 65,7kg.) of Invicta FC, Megan anderson, also tried to praise Santos. For the athlete, Marreta was very active in combat, even with his injured knee.

“Even though he didn't get the victory and apparently injured his knee in the second round, Thiago was incredible and could have won the victory. Great fight”, wrote the American.

Even with so much praise from so many experts on the subject, Ultimate's president, Dana White, in an interview after the UFC 239, did not see the result in the same way. For him, Jones was dominant throughout the dispute. The representative even disagreed with the fact that the decision was divided between the judges.

"I Think Jon Jones won easily. When I heard it was going to be a split decision, I thought, 'What's going on?' These judges are complicated”, said the 'boss' in the post-event press conference.

After a real battle, both Jones and Marreta stated that they were feeling pain in their bodies as a result of the hard blows delivered during practically the entire fight.