Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, returned from a year-long layoff tonight (Sat., April 23, 2016) to battle Ovince Saint Preux in the main event of UFC 197, which took place inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And it was clear that “Bones” was not his normal, terrifying self. Nonetheless, Jones took the fight to Saint Preux for 25 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory to claim the interim Light Heavyweight title. Jones used his length and legs to pile up points for the first three rounds, walking down Saint Preux and landing several spinning back kicks,
The short notice clearly affected Saint Preux, who faded in the championship rounds. Jones did not, using his opponent’s fatigue to his advantage, landing two big takedowns in the fourth round and delivering some brutal ground-and-pound. It was the one time that Saint Preux was in serious trouble, but Jones didn’t have enough time to seal the deal. Saint Preux came out for the fifth round gassed and didn’t offer much offense. Jones landed more shots, registered another huge takedown slam and coasted to a wide decision victory.
Jones was down on himself in the post-fight interview. But, he won the interim title, which he said he didn’t want, and set up a rematch with Daniel Cormer down the road. Perhaps more important, he dusted off the ring rust, ensuring that he will have no excused when he takes on “DC” later this year.
Cant wait!
For complete UFC 197: “Jones vs. Saint Preux” results, including play-by-play updates and much more, click here and here.