SAN DIEGO – In a matchup of experience vs. youth, the kid reigned supreme.

Highly touted light heavyweight Jon Jones used a takedown and a quick and vicious barrage of elbow strikes to score a first-round TKO victory over former IFL champ Vladimir Matyushenko.

The fight headlined UFC on Versus 2, a Versus-televised event that took place in front of 8,132 fans at the San Diego Sports Arena in California.

Jones, a 23-year-old who entered the fight with a staggering 10.5-inch reach advantage, attacked his 39-year-old opponent from distance before scoring a takedown. Once there, he maneuvered out of Matyushenko's early attempt at an armbar and then unloaded the lightning-quick series of elbow strikes.

Referee Herb Dean halted the action at the 1:52 mark of the very first round.

Jones admittedly was surprised by the quick win.

"I trained the hardest I could possibly train," Jones said. "I knew Vladimir would be the toughest test, and I trained my butt off. And things went really well."

Jones' only career loss came in December, when an illegal "12-to-6" elbow strike resulted in a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill. Jones, though, otherwise dominated the fight, and few consider it a legitimate defeat. That's why the New Yorker believes – as do most MMA pundits – that it's now time for him to face the division's elite.

"My goal is to become one of the best in the world, if not the best in my weight class," Jones said. "Whoever the UFC gives me, I'll be ready for it. ... I just hope (UFC mathmaker) Joe Silva and (UFC president) Dana White really kick it up with me and give me some really, really tough guys."

With his second straight UFC on Versus main-event victory, Jones moves to 11-1 overall and 5-1 in the UFC. Matyushenko, who entered the fight on an 11-1 run, falls to 24-5 (5-3 UFC).

In the night's co-headliner, longtime middleweight contender Yushin Okami apparently was fueled by the mere hint of a potential title fight.

Just days after UFC president Dana White suggested that the Japanese fighter may be due for a shot at the belt, Okami posted one of the most impressive performances of his four-year UFC career and earned a split-decision victory over fellow contender Mark Munoz.

Although often criticized for a lackluster and defense-oriented fighting style, Okami successfully neutralized Munoz's advanced takedown skills, battered the former NCAA Division I national champion with counter-shots, and essentially shut down his opponent's varied advances with both technique and brute strength. With solid footwork, an effective sprawl and his ability to shake off a punch that knocked him down in the second round, Okami earned reigned supreme for the hard-fought decision victory.

However, though Okami appeared to clearly win the first and third rounds, he had to settle for a split-decision win (29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 on the judges' cards).

"I was surprised, but Munoz was a really good fighter," Okami said of the decision through a translator.

Okami, whose only two UFC losses came to ex-champ Rich Franklin and now-top contender Chael Sonnen, moves to 25-5 overall and a stellar 9-2 in the UFC. Munoz, who had been a perfect 3-0 since a drop to middleweight, falls to 8-2 overall and 3-2 in the UFC.

Some wrestlers use their ground skills to keep a fight on the mat. Others use them to score takedowns and steal rounds. Then there's Jake Ellenberger, whose wrestling allows him to do everything from setting up dominant ground positions to disrupting his opponents' rhythm to escaping trouble and buying himself recovery time.

Ellenberger used multiple takedowns and an effective top game to control his fight with fellow welterweight John Howard. Ultimately, though, Ellenberger earned a third-round TKO victory when his opponent's badly damaged and swollen left eye prompted the doctor's intervention and a stoppage of the fight.

Despite his wrestling prowess and eventual victory, Ellenberger didn't exactly have a skate in the park. After a dominant and safe first round, Ellenberger couldn't as effectively manage Howard in the second. In fact, Howard wobbled him with punches and well-timed knees to the head throughout the round, but Ellenberger continually survived by scoring takedowns and slowing the attacks.

Ultimately, though, it was one of Ellenberger's elbow strikes in the second round that prompted the end of the fight. The swelling on the left side of Howard's face began almost immediately and ballooned up to a sickening, stomach-churning level by the third round. The doctor ultimately halted the bout at the 2:21 mark of the final frame.

"If they want to do it again, we can do it again," said Ellenberger, who admits he was rocked by Howard's strikes on a few occasions. "Winning like that isn't always the best, but I came out with the W."

The victory moves Ellenberger to 23-5 overall and 2-1 in the UFC. Howard (14-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), meanwhile, snaps a seven-fight win streak and suffers his first loss in the octagon.

With the reputation of Japanese MMA hinging at least partially on his fight, Takanori Gomi stopped a legitimate lightweight contender, earned a vicious knockout win, and picked up his first UFC victory with a 64-second knockout of Tyson Griffin.

Before the fighters even really had a chance to test their range and break a sweat, Gomi whiffed on a left hand but followed with a big right cross that connected flush with his opponent's chin. The blow sent Griffin face first into the canvas, and Gomi followed with additional punches before the referee could dive into the scrum and stop the fight.

Griffin tried to protest the stoppage but stumbled as he got to his feet, still clearly dazed from the crushing blow.

"This is what I consider my start in the UFC," said Gomi, who suffered a submission loss to Kenny Florian in his March UFC debut. "The first time I was here, I really didn't know how to fight American (MMA). You saw what happened today. I think I got the hang of it."

Gomi (32-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a former PRIDE champion and still one of Japan's most popular fighters, now has won three of his past four fights and becomes the first fighter ever to stop Griffin. Meanwhile, Griffin (14-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who was once on the verge of a title shot after a remarkable 6-1 run in the UFC, now has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.

SEE ALSO: UFC on Versus 2 preliminary-card recap: Volkmann, Riddle and Stann victorious

MAIN CARD

•Jon Jones def. Vladimir Matyushenko via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:52
•Yushin Okami def. Mark Munoz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
•Jake Ellenberger def. John Howard via TKO (eye injury) - Round 3, 2:21
•Takanori Gomi def. Tyson Griffin via KO (punch) - Round 1, 1:04
PRELIMINARY CARD

•Jacob Volkmann def. Paul Kelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Matt Riddle def. DaMarques Johnson via TKO - Round 2, 4:29
•Igor Pokrajac def. James Irvin via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:29
•Brian Stann def. Mike Massenzio via submission (triangle choke) - Round 3, 3:10
•Charles Oliveira def. Darren Elkins via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 0:41
•Rob Kimmons def. Steve Steinbeiss via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)