UFC 122

Lore & Background

By mid-2011 the UFC had already proven it could sell out arenas across North America, but Europe remained the next great frontier. UFC 122 was the promotion's answer to years of British and European fans watching from their living rooms. The O2 Arena, a gleaming dome on the Greenwich Peninsula, became the stage for what many still call the most 'complete' single-event card the UFC had produced up to that point: a top-ten light-heavyweight title fight, a marquee middleweight defense, and a women's championship that had never existed before. The main event carried enormous narrative weight. Jon Jones, at just 24, had already dethroned Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua and was regarded as the most dominant fighter in the division. Vitor Belfort, a two-division former champion and one of the sport's most beloved veterans, was given the chance to reclaim a title he had lost years earlier. The bout lived up to its billing: a war of striking, grappling, and clinch work that ended when Jones locked in a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, securing his first successful title defense and cementing his status as the division's king. Equally historic was the women's main event. Felice Herrig and Julianna Peña stepped into the octagon to determine the first-ever UFC Women's Bantamweight champion. Herrig, a tough and technical competitor out of the American Top Team, outworked Peña and stopped her by TKO in the second round, becoming the first woman to hold a UFC world title. The moment was broadcast to millions and is widely cited as the catalyst that accelerated women's MMA into the mainstream of the UFC's programming.

In Their Own Story

The O2 Arena hummed with a sound unlike anything London had heard before. Twenty thousand voices—half of them British, the other half a tide of imported noise—rolled down from the upper tiers and pressed against the cage like a living thing. The lights cut to a cold blue, and the announcer's voice dropped the name that had been echoing through the week's press: *Jon Jones.*

In the corner, Belfort rolled his shoulders, jaw set, the old fire still burning despite the years. Across the cage, Jones moved with that unsettling, liquid calm, eyes tracking every shift of weight. The bell rang and the night split into two halves: the first three rounds a chess match of kicks, takedowns, and scrambles that left both men bleeding and breathing through their teeth; the fourth, a single sentence of violence. Jones buried a headlock, sank in the choke, and the arena's roar became a single sustained note as Belfort's hand dropped. But the memory that lingers isn't only the main event. It's the minutes before, when two women in black shorts and sports bras walked out to a crowd that had never seen a UFC title fight between women, let alone one in their own city. Felice Herrig's TKO of Julianna Peña in the second round wasn't just a win; it was a door kicking open. Somewhere in the stands, a teenager in a too-big UFC hoodie felt the floor shake and thought, *I could do that.*

London had its first UFC night. The sport had its first women's champion. And the cage, for one evening, belonged to everyone.

Reader's Guide

UFC 122 | July 2, 2011 | The O2 Arena, London, England Headline: Jon Jones (c) def. Vitor Belfort by submission (RNC), R4 – UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

• First-ever UFC event held in London, signaling the promotion's serious push into the European market and the UK fanbase. • Inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship: Felice Herrig def. Julianna Peña by TKO (R2), making her the first woman to hold a UFC world title. • Anderson Silva (c) def. Chael Sonnen by TKO in the co-main event, extending his middleweight dominance with a five-round masterclass. • Jon Jones' first UFC title defense, solidifying his reign at light heavyweight after a hard-fought four-round war against a veteran Belfort. • A card widely regarded as one of the most complete and well-rounded in UFC history, with a championship bout at two weight classes, a women's title, and a stacked middleweight main event.

Did You Know?

• UFC 122 was the first UFC event ever staged in London, ending years of UK fans having to watch the promotion exclusively on television.
• Felice Herrig's victory over Julianna Peña made her the first woman to be crowned a UFC world champion, a milestone that helped accelerate the growth of women's MMA globally.
• Jon Jones was only 24 years old when he defended his light-heavyweight title at UFC 122, making him one of the youngest champions to successfully defend a UFC belt at the time.
• The event took place inside The O2 Arena, a distinctive white dome on the Greenwich Peninsula, giving the night a uniquely futuristic backdrop for what was a historic card.