Mason Jones Claims Redemption with Bloody Fight of the Night Win at UFC London

Mason Jones (18-2-1) claimed another win inside the Octagon at UFC London, however the road to his fourth UFC victory was not always so smooth.

The Setup

Mason Jones would be the first to admit that his last outing in London did not go as planned.

UFC Fight Night 208, Blaydes vs. Aspinall took place in July 2022. 1:1:1 in the organisation at the time, Mason Jones took on Ludovit Klein as the featured prelim.

Klein delivered a career-best performance, outworking Jones over the 3 rounds with superior striking – which led to him being given a decision victory.

Now 4 fights into his UFC run, Jones was at a crossroads. The Welshman ultimately chose to mutually part ways with the company, go back to Cage Warriors and hone his craft.

271 days later – nearly a year exactly, Jones returned. He destroyed Alexandre Ribeiro inside the 1st round with a barrage of strikes at CW 158 in Rome.

“The Dragon” continued his redemption arc across the world. Picking up TKO victories in Dublin and San Diego before topping them off with a decision victory in Manchester against an undefeated opponent.

Momentum, confidence: both attributes that had been reclaimed in his time away from the big show – the Blaenavon fighter was ready to return.

The Resurgence

Jones made his UFC comeback in May 2025 against returning veteran Jeremy Stephens. The fight took place in Des Moines, Iowa – the hometown of Stephens.

Despite fighting in Stephens’ backyard, Jones used his skillset to go blow for blow with “Lil’ Heathen” for the first two rounds, before dominating him with superior grappling in the 3rd.

After 3 years away, Jones was back and had marked his return with a unanimous decision victory against a grizzled UFC vet.

He followed this up with a TKO win over power-puncher Bolaji Oki, taking him down and relentlessly bludgeoning him with elbows for a 2nd round stoppage.

Since his unceremonious loss to Klein at UFC London, Jones had put on a staggering six fight win streak – looking consistently dominant the whole way through.

The Execution

Come early January and Axel Sola vs. Mason Jones was announced for UFC London. Savvy MMA fans knew the challenge that Sola presented.

An undefeated Frenchman, Sola (11:0:1) was a former Ares lightweight champion and had already TKOd former Cage Warriors champion Rhys McKee in his UFC debut. The exact same accolade Jones once held in his youth.

Since his initial UFC stint, this was easily the most challenging opponent that Jones had been presented with and was to take place in London nonetheless – a location loaded with emotion.

Going into the fight he told us this fight was the most important of his career.

He said: “This fight for me is the pinnacle of my career so far. This is my ‘make it or break it’ moment, and I’m determined to make it my ‘make it’ moment.”

“Axel Sola is my biggest target to date, literally, 6 '2”. It’s super exciting, I can’t wait to kick him in the face.”

What took place was one of the bloodiest affairs in the Octagon so far this year.

After a spinning elbow from Sola dropped Jones in the first, Jones rallied, using his patented pressure striking to start tallying strikes on the Frenchman’s dome.

Inside leg kicks started taking their toll on Sola’s rangey southpaw stance whilst clinch knees opened multiple cuts across his face. Jones was taking him into deep waters.

The 2nd round saw Jones land a spinning elbow of his own, which he can be seen drilling during his pad-sessions at Celtic Pride Martial Arts.

By the end of the 15 minutes both men were bloodied, bruised and battered – yet it was Jones who had his hand raised for a unanimous decision victory along with an $100,000 fight of the night bonus.

In his Octagon interview he said: “Last time I was in London it was the start of the worst part of my life. (...) I think I am an example for everyone. If you want something, the only person in your way is you.”

Shot by us, check out our behind the gloves video with Mason Jones in the build up to his fight at UFC London. Shining light on his mindset, preparation and what it really takes to compete at the highest level of MMA.