"I wasn't close to tapping out at all. I was ready to face the music and get it broken if I had to get it broken. I proved a lot to myself tonight and I'm grateful for it. I haven't gotten x-rays (yet on my arm), so I'm not going to sit here and feed into a little pain. But I'll definitely live on to fight another day. Every time I extended my right hand or tried to use an elbow on my right side, I felt it. I felt as if I really didn't have any power in my right side at all but it's a long ways from my heart."
-- Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones tells ESPN he was never close to tapping out to a deep armbar from Vitor Belfort during the first round of their main event title bout at UFC 152 last night (Sept. 22, 2012) at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. That's despite the fact that he heard a few pops and while x-rays haven't been done just yet, he was told before the post-fight press conference he may have suffered nerve damage. Either way, "Bones" proved beyond a shadow of a doubt he's as tough as he is talented, as gritty as he is dangerous. He's now stared down sure defeat and he never even blinked. He showed weaknesses in his game, namely his jiu-jitsu and inability to control from top position, but at 25-years-old he's still growing and getting better every day. Is there anyone on Earth right now, at any weight, who could defeat this man? Click here to watch highlights of Jones vs. Belfort, here for a detailed breakdown of the bout and here for complete UFC 152 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action.