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Jon Jones made a triumphant return to the Octagon after over a year-long layoff last night (Sat., April 23, 2016) by defeating Ovince Saint Preux to capture the interim Light Heavyweight title in Las Vegas, Nevada.

See it again here.

Most, though, weren’t too impressed with Jon’s performance, as he was taken the distance by a man who took the fight on three weeks notice because of this. Among the ones not wowed by “Bones” was his original opponent, Daniel Cormier, who said on FOX Sports 1’s post-fight show that if that’s the “new” Jon Jones, then he has nothing to worry about when they rematch.

His words:

“He got the job done. A lot of times, most guys, they don’t have their best performance, they lose. They don’t get it done. So it shows how special Jon is. That being said, very disappointed that I didn’t get to compete tonight because I do believe that if he showed up in the form that he did tonight, or if this is the new Jon Jones, there’s no way that guy can beat me.”

Dana White agrees with you, “DC.”

Furthermore, Jones tells “Bones” to leave the “garbage” interim title at home when they square off:

“Don’t bring that interim belt. You leave that at home. That’s garbage. That’s a play belt. They got that thing from the kiosk upstairs before they gave that to you in the middle of the Octagon. Leave that thing at home, Jon. Come chase this real title, and get beat, and I’ll ship you back to Albuquerque.”

Of course, Jones says his performance was stifled a bit by the last-minute switch in opponent and declared that ring rust wasn’t a factor in his fight against “OSP.” In fact, Jones says had he and Daniel duked it out last night, he would’ve beat him up pretty good.

As for when the two can expect to settle their differences, Cormier says he will visit his doctor tomorrow and if all goes well, he should be able to take on “Bones” in the main event of UFC 200 on July 9, 2016.

“I go to the doctor on Monday. I feel much better already. I did the stem cell (treatment) and I’m able to walk good now. I feel like I can be healthy for anytime. UFC 200 needs a main event. (If) the doctor gives me the go-ahead, I’ll be ready to go. Let’s get this guy back in the octagon. Let’s go. I want nothing more than to fight this guy every day of the week.”

Of course, the coveted headlinging spot for the monumental pay-per-view (PPV) event was left vacant after UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor refused to leave Iceland to attend a press conference to promote his rematch against Nate Diaz.

One man’s loss is another’s gain.

For complete UFC 197: “Jones vs. Saint Preux” results, including play-by-play updates and much more, click here and here.

Sure, not many expected Jon Jones to pick up right were he left off after 16 months on the sidelines, but the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion did dominate his fight against Ovince Saint Preux at last night’s (Sat. April 23, 2016) UFC 197 pay-per-view (PPV) event.

But, when you’ve raised such a high bar for yourself, anything short of a spectacular output will earn you some criticism.

That’s why Chael Sonnen didn’t hold back when assessing Jon’s fight against “OSP,” by absolutely slaying “Bones” and dubbing his performance — which you can see here — as garbage.

His words on ESPN (via Fancy MMA):

“This was garbage. This was Jon Jones’s worst performance by light years. Now, he won, he dominated the wrestling, the striking and he won a championship tonight. But for the high bar Jon has set, this is his single worst performance in the Octagon. His timing was off, his output wasn’t there, his wrestling largely failed him aside from getting him against the cage and that’s my assessment.”

Though not as harsh as “The American Gangster,” UFC president Dana White was also not too impressed with Jon.

That said, Jones himself acknowledges he could have done better despite earning a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards. However, he also admitted during the post-fight press conference that he did play it a bit cautious, as he made sure not to get tagged by a one-hitter quitter from a man who had nothing to lose.

Furthermore, Jones is adamant he will hit the gym early this coming week in order to up his game ahead of his much-anticipated rematch against Daniel Cormier, which is expected to go down at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

What say you, Maniacs, was Sonnen a bit too harsh in his assessment?

Henry Cejudo reflects on his devastating loss to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197 and says he completely underestimated the champion’s clinch game.

Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo entered UFC 197 brimming with confidence. The freestyle wrestling specialist, who captured gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, successfully transferred his grappling skills to the Octagon and catapulted to title contention with 10 straight wins.

Looking to replicate his Olympic success in the UFC, Cejudo took on flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in last night’s co-main event and found success early in the fight with a takedown. From that moment, however, it was all downhill for the 29-year-old.

Johnson sprung back to his feet with authority and began dismantling Cejudo from the clinch. ‘Mighty Mouse’ attacked with a barrage of knees to the face and body, eventually wilting Cejudo with a body shot midway through the first round. It signalled the end for ‘The Messenger’, who was left writhing on the ground and saved by referee big John McCarthy from further punishment.

What makes the experience all the more humbling for Cejudo is that fact that he had trained specifically to wear Johnson down in the clinch.

“Honestly, that was part of our game plan as a camp,” Cejudo said at the UFC 197 post-fight press conference (h/t Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting). “I really did believe I was going to dominate the clinch. Coming from a wrestling background, I felt really strong. It was that first knee that he hit me with. I think he said it during the interview, too. He heard me grunt. I took him down. I could’ve held him down a little longer, but I was still trying to catch my breath. It was that one knee that really did it.

“When you get hit to the body, you don’t even worry about your face no more. So, I just started kinda protecting my body, like hanging my head down. He did a good job. He attacked my body.

“I underestimated his clinch and he hit me to the body on both sides. He did a good job. I underestimated his clinch. The plan was to take him there and then slowly wrestle him. That knee was the difference in that he just beat me up with knees. That was the biggest thing.”

When reflecting on his loss, Cejudo said he needs to take a step back to analyze his performance to see exactly where things went wrong. Humble in defeat, the Arizona-based fighter admitted to being in awe of Johnson’s skills and says he would like to see the 125-pound kingpin take on Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title.

“The only thing I can do is just go back. Maybe I should take my time a little bit,” Cejudo said. “I’m actually curious to see him fight at 135. I want to see how good he really is. He proved it tonight. I’m humbled. I’d like to see him fight at 135 for the championship. I want to see how good Demetrious Johnson is or how far he could take it.”

Johnson fought Cruz for the 135-pound belt in 2011 but fell short of divisional gold. Since then, he’s established himself as a pound-for-pound great, becoming the first flyweight champion in UFC history and defending the title eight times. With his 10th consecutive win over Cejudo, DJ moves to 12-1 in his UFC career and is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest champions in the sport.