Check out BloodyElbow.com’s recap of the UFC 197 main event between Jon Jones and Ovince Saint Preux.
After over a year out of the cage due to legal troubles, Jon Jones returned to action in the main event of UFC 197 against Ovince Saint Preux on Saturday night and picked up a dominant unanimous decision victory, capturing the interim UFC light heavyweight championship.
What was the high point of this fight?
I expected more from Jones, to be brutally honest, and it seems like most did. However, cage rust is a thing so Jones shouldn’t be criticized too much. He got some cage time and that’s all that matters. A high point of Jones vs. Saint Preux is difficult to pick out as it was a pretty lackluster contest. Jones still dominated the fight start to finish, utilizing his signature front kicks to the leg and elbows in the clinch to rack up more than enough points to win a decision. Jones didn’t really use his wrestling until the later rounds, when he slammed Saint Preux multiple times. I suppose that was the highlight of the fight for me — the huge slam from Jones that sent thunderous vibrations throughout the arena.
Where do these two go from here?
Jones will be looking to re-capture what he never lost in the cage — the UFC light heavyweight championship — against the current titleholder, Daniel Cormier, in the near future. UFC president Dana White confirmed that if Jones is healthy and Cormier passes an MRI early next week, Cormier vs. Jones II will be the main event of July’s UFC 200.
This wasn’t that big of a setback for Saint Preux. He took the fight on short notice, went into the matchup as a large underdog and truly had nothing to lose against Jones. Saint Preux is still a 205-pound contender and only loses to top competition. He likely gets a top 10 fighter in his next fight in hopes to get back into the winning column after Saturday night’s loss.
Watch now, later, or never?
Most of you reading this right now have already seen the fight. For anyone that missed UFC 197 (shame on you!), I honestly don’t think I’d take the time out of my day to watch Jones vs. Saint Preux. Check out the highlights above, but it really just wasn’t that exciting of a fight and I found it rather lackluster and disappointing.