Jon Jones vs. Ovince Saint Preux interim LHW title fight headlines UFC 197

With Daniel Cormier injured, Ovince Saint Preux will replace him in the UFC 197 main event against former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and an interim belt will be on the line.

Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier may not be fighting Jon Jones at UFC 197 on April 23rd, but Jones will remain on the card. UFC president Dana White announced on ESPN’s SportsCenter that Jones’ return to the Octagon will be an interim title fight against #6 ranked Ovince Saint Preux. Jones vs. OSP will be the main event, while the flyweight title bout between Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo stays put as the co-main.
On Friday night, it was reported that Cormier was out of the Jones rematch due to an injury, which came just 1 day after Jones was released from a New Mexico jail and cleared to compete at UFC 197, after he’d been arrested for violating his probation for last year’s hit-and-run charge. As for Cormier, a 4-6 week recovery is expected for his injury, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Saint Preux (19-7) last fought in February, sending Rafael Cavalcante out of the UFC with a unanimous decision victory despite suffering an injured ankle in the opening round. The Strikeforce veteran is 7-2 inside the Octagon, with his only losses coming against Ryan Bader (by unanimous decision) and Glover Teixeira (by 3rd round rear-naked choke). OSP holds victories over the likes of Patrick Cummins, Nikita Krylov, and Mauricio Rua.
For the record, Anthony Johnson couldn’t face Jones on short notice due to a recent dental procedure that otherwise has temporarily left him unable to put a mouthpiece in.

UFC called Anthony Johnson. He just had a dental procedure. Can’t put a mouthpiece in.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 2, 2016

With Daniel Cormier injured, Ovince Saint Preux will replace him in the UFC 197 main event against former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and an interim belt will be on the line.

Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier may not be fighting Jon Jones at UFC 197 on April 23rd, but Jones will remain on the card. UFC president Dana White announced on ESPN’s SportsCenter that Jones’ return to the Octagon will be an interim title fight against #6 ranked Ovince Saint Preux. Jones vs. OSP will be the main event, while the flyweight title bout between Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo stays put as the co-main.
On Friday night, it was reported that Cormier was out of the Jones rematch due to an injury, which came just 1 day after Jones was released from a New Mexico jail and cleared to compete at UFC 197, after he’d been arrested for violating his probation for last year’s hit-and-run charge. As for Cormier, a 4-6 week recovery is expected for his injury, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Saint Preux (19-7) last fought in February, sending Rafael Cavalcante out of the UFC with a unanimous decision victory despite suffering an injured ankle in the opening round. The Strikeforce veteran is 7-2 inside the Octagon, with his only losses coming against Ryan Bader (by unanimous decision) and Glover Teixeira (by 3rd round rear-naked choke). OSP holds victories over the likes of Patrick Cummins, Nikita Krylov, and Mauricio Rua.
For the record, Anthony Johnson couldn’t face Jones on short notice due to a recent dental procedure that otherwise has temporarily left him unable to put a mouthpiece in.