UFC star Jon Jones is dealing with a bruised shin after defeating Ovince Saint Preux by unanimous decision to capture the interim 205-pound title belt at UFC 197 on Saturday.
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Jones’ Injuries Not Considered Serious
Sunday, April 24
ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto reported Jones needed a wheelchair to get back to the locker room and later relayed the following picture and update:
MMAFighting.com’s Shaheen Al-Shatti added that despite needing the assistance of a wheelchair, Jones said “his shins and feet were swollen once the adrenaline wore off, but he feels fine now.”
Heidi Fang of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the wheelchair was merely precautionary.
Jones made his return to the Octagon on Saturday night for the first time since the UFC stripped him of his light heavyweight title and suspended him after he turned himself into the police on felony hit-and-run charges, and he acquitted himself nicely in the win.
The unanimous-decision victory saw Jones win by scores of 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45, per Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, and Jones told reporters after the fight that he felt fit throughout the five rounds.
“I was watching, imagining, anticipating techniques—knowing when techniques would have landed, but just not going for it,” Jones said, per Okamoto. “Physically, I felt amazing. Mentally, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m sucking. This isn’t good.'”
Despite getting dinged up just a bit, Jones sounded confident that he’ll be able to return to the gym soon as he prepares for a rematch with Daniel Cormier.
“I’m really excited to fight Cormier,” Jones added, per Okamoto. “I’ll be right back in practice, probably by Tuesday or Wednesday—getting back to our original strategy.”
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