In the main event of UFC 197 in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jon “Bones” Jones won the interim UFC light heavyweight championship with a lopsided unanimous-decision win over Ovince Saint Preux. Jones didn’t look his best, but his C-game was enough to win 50-44, 50-45, 50-45 on the three judges’ cards.
ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto and MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani didn’t give Jones high marks for his performance:
Per MMA Mania, Jones talked about his inability to pull the trigger with his offense:
Bones seemed tentative despite winning every round. He controlled the action with more activity, but he began to dominate in the third and fourth rounds when he started landing hard slams. The last slam in the fourth round seemed to injure Saint Preux’s left arm, and Jones subsequently landed tons of elbows from the top position.
While no one was calling Jones’ performance a vintage showing, it’s hard to imagine any other light heavyweight in the world beating OSP so easily while not producing his best effort.
Jones didn’t accept the interim title after the fight, and he explained why, per MMA Mania:
Originally, Jones was supposed to face UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier to regain the title he forfeited when the UFC suspended him and stripped him of the belt in April 2015. However, Cormier suffered an injury during training camp, and Saint Preux stepped in to take his place.
Jones defeated Cormier in January 2015 via unanimous decision. Per the UFC PPV broadcast, their rematch is set for later this year. It could potentially take place at UFC 200.
Mighty Mouse Continues His Dominance
Demetrious Johnson is amazing. In the co-main event, the UFC flyweight champion made an Olympic medalist look like a run-of-the-mill fighter. Johnson destroyed Henry Cejudo in the first round with some excellent work in the clinch.
After Cejudo took him down, Johnson quickly got to his feet and did major damage in close quarters. A series of knees to the midsection and elbows to the head left Cejudo reeling backward.
Johnson doesn’t get paid by the hour, so he pounced on Cejudo like he was double-parked. A straight right hand sent him into the cage, and another knee dropped Cejudo to his knees. The referee stepped in to stop the fight, and Johnson had yet another successful defense of his title.
MMAFighting.com showed its appreciation for Johnson’s fighting prowess:
How easy was Johnson’s night? He did a quick interview backstage for the UFC’s Twitter account moments afterward:
Here’s a look at all of the results from UFC 197.
Main Card
- Jon Jones def. Ovince Saint Preux via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45).
- Demetrious Johnson def. Henry Cejudo via first-round technical knockout.
- Edson Barboza def. Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
- Robert Whittaker def. Rafael Natal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
- Yair Rodriguez def. Andre Fili via second-round knockout.
Fox Sports 1 Undercard
- Sergio Pettis def. Chris Kelades via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Danny Roberts def. Dominique Steele via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Carla Esparza def. Juliana Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- James Vick def. Glaico Franca via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Fight Pass
- Walt Harris def. Cody East first-round technical knockout,
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Clint Hester via first-round submission (arm triangle).
- Kevin Lee def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
The Finishes
De Lima Smokes Hester
Marcos Rogerio de Lima took advantage of an early stumble by Clint Hester. De Lima pounced on Hester, taking the top position, and he didn’t allow his opponent to stand again until after he had submitted him.
An arm triangle finished Hester, but the vicious ground-and-pound did the damage. He was tapping before the submission hold was even locked in securely.
Kel Dansby of The Corner doesn’t think fans will see Hester in a UFC cage for a while:
Harris Takes East South
Walt Harris is a unique heavyweight. He’s extraordinarily agile for a man in his division, but he has tons of striking power. Cody East found that out firsthand Saturday night.
After a few competitive exchanges, Harris landed a short and quick straight left hand that dropped East. Harris rained down shots on East until the referee stopped the bout. Throughout the broadcast, promos were hyping East’s debut and his time on the Lookin’ for a Fight YouTube series.
Jeff Wagenheim of Sports Illustrated and the Washington Post captured East’s predicament:
Rodriguez Scores Highlight-Reel Finish
Yair Rodriguez put Andre “Touchy” Fili to sleep with a brutal jumping switch kick to the chin in the second round. Fox Sports’ Jon Anik and Sherdog.com were impressed by Rodriguez’s striking display:
Dynamic striking attempts are Rodriguez’s calling card. He will try just about anything in the Octagon, and it’s making him one of the most exciting prospects in the UFC. He came into the fight unranked, but that could change after Saturday’s performance.
What’s Next?
UFC Fight Night Rotterdam
Two ultra-popular and destructive heavyweights will headline a UFC Fight Night card in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on May 8. Alistair Overeem will take on Andrei Arlovski in a fight that will almost certainly end before the final horn.
In the co-main event, another heavyweight matchup between Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Stefan “The Skyscraper” Struve will get the cage warm for Overeem and Arlovski. It could be a night capped with explosive finishes.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com