The outcomes most people expected were switched.
UFC 197 went down from the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas on pay-per-view tonight (April 23, 2016), headlined by a light heavyweight interim championship bout between pound-for-pound stalwart Jon Jones and late replacement top ten 205er Ovince St. Preux. Jones failed to impress in his return to the Octagon.
Despite pitching a shutout on the judges’ scorecards, the dominant performance and stoppage that many predicted failed to materialize for “Bones”. Outside of a few big slam takedowns and elbow-laden ground and pound in the fourth, Jones’ most common weapon was his trademark oblique kicks.
The co-main event saw the other top-two pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, retain his flyweight title for the eighth straight time, cruising to a first round TKO over Olympic gold-medalist Henry Cejudo. Cejudo was able to score an early takedown, but Johnson chewed him up with elbows and knees in the clinch, wobbling him with a knee to the head and dropping him with a knee to the body. See how Twitter reacted to these pivotal bouts:
Fight goes the distance. Ends with some boos. Lots of fans already leaving. Jones will win 5-0 but most ordinary he’s looked in a while.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 24, 2016
Jones hands the interim title back and says “I don’t want that, it’s not the real one.” #UFC197
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) April 24, 2016
You didn’t live up 2 my expectations tonight! It should’ve been the way *I* envisioned,not the fluid & unpredictable circumstance of combat!
— Julie Kedzie (@julesk_fighter) April 24, 2016
“If you fight me in that way you can’t win.” – @dc_mma on Jon Jones’ performance at #UFC197 https://t.co/4RegcRvp4P
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 24, 2016
Jon Jones flipping Daniel Cormier the bird exiting the cage #UFC197 pic.twitter.com/okoJbE6NnB
— Mike Dyce (@mikedyce) April 24, 2016
DC, a man who does’t need help with confidence, must definitely feel confident after this fight tonight, whether unfounded or not. #UFC197
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) April 24, 2016
DC Still be like #UFC197 pic.twitter.com/WQFSHrgauT
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) April 24, 2016
@arielhelwani I’ll take that belt if he doesn’t want it
— Tom Lawlor (@FilthyTomLawlor) April 24, 2016
Even Jon Jones post fight speech was “meh.” #UFC197
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) April 24, 2016
That was the real @JonnyBones On the mic tonight- Welcome back Amigo @ufc #UFC197 Great job @003_OSP in the 5 Rnd Battle
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) April 24, 2016
Man, @003_OSP is the epitome of class and a guy whose priorities are definitely in the right order. #Magnanimous #UFC197
— Mauro Ranallo (@mauroranallo) April 24, 2016
RESPECT to OSP #UFC197
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) April 24, 2016
I think Cormier would have won this fight, but if Jones was fighting Cormier, he wouldn’t have fought this fight.
Deep.
— Suzanne Davis (@SoozieCuzie) April 24, 2016
Much respect to @JonnyBones and @003_OSP
— Anthony Johnson (@Anthony_Rumble) April 24, 2016
How mad is Daniel Cormier that he didn’t get to fight this rusty Jones? #UFC197
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) April 24, 2016
JBJ is fighting like me in EA UFC. Just spamming kicks. #UFC197
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) April 24, 2016
OSP lead leg is damaged which is why he standing orthodox. It’s been that way since 1st rd. Def the difference in the fight. #UFC197
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) April 24, 2016
@ufc @MightyMouseUFC#AndStill#AndStill#AndStill#AndStill#AndStill#AndStill#AndStill#AndStill
It never gets old. ????— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 24, 2016
First round TKO win for DJ. Wow. Brilliant performance.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 24, 2016
Might Mouse is the goatiest GOAT!! ???????????? #UFC197
— Yellow Power Ranger (@Sugarhigh5me) April 24, 2016
Ate him alive!!! #UFC197
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) April 24, 2016
Too easy. Demetrious Johnson def. Henry Cejudo by first-round TKO. Knees to the body the primary weapon of choice. Eight straight defenses!
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) April 24, 2016
That was a beautiful performance.
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) April 24, 2016
Dat boy good!!! Congrats @MightyMouseUFC
— Joseph Benavidez (@JoeJitsu) April 24, 2016
I get tired just watching @MightyMouseUFC. He hardly broke a sweat.
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) April 24, 2016
Damn, @MightyMouseUFC making @joerogan look like @SHAQ
— Sean McCorkle (@BigSexyMcCorkle) April 24, 2016
Johnson aka mighty muse = Goat #UFC197
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) April 24, 2016
He’s no joke!! Finishing people every which way!! #UFC197 #P4Pnumber1
— Michael Johnson (@FollowTheMenace) April 24, 2016
Damn I’m gutted 4Henry but we are all the 1%ers at this level its just who got the edge on fight night & DJ has this science down! #ufc197
— Anthony Birchak (@abirchakMMA) April 24, 2016
In other main card action, Yair Rodriguez continued to impress. “Pantera” scored his fourth straight UFC victory and earned his first stoppage with a jumping switch kick knockout of Andre Fili 2:15 into round two. MMA Twitter exploded. Check out the video and the reaction here:
Ladies and gentlemen, Yair Rodriguez… #UFC197 pic.twitter.com/ZckhXDWnzs
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionAus) April 24, 2016
Dead.
— Suzanne Davis (@SoozieCuzie) April 24, 2016
Yair Rodriguez just killed Andre Fili with a jumping kick to the grill. That was NASTY.
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) April 24, 2016
Fuck what you heard that’s KO of the year. #UFC197
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) April 24, 2016
Sweet mother what a KO by Yair Rodriguez. Wow. That was something else.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 24, 2016
OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! @panteraufc #UFC197
— #UFC197 (@ufc) April 24, 2016
He’s dead y’all. Cut Rodriguez that check. #UFC197
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) April 24, 2016
That was some straight up Bloodsport shit. #UFC197
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) April 24, 2016
Nighty night. Scratch that man a performance of the night check son. #UFC197
— Greg Savage (@TheSavageTruth) April 24, 2016
HOLY SHIT, Yair Rodriguez KO!! #UFC197 pic.twitter.com/72bPOQnEYm
— Yellow Power Ranger (@Sugarhigh5me) April 24, 2016
That was nasty!! ???? Head up Fili#UFC197
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) April 24, 2016
???????????????? that KO!!!! #UFC197
— Mark Ingram II (@MarkIngram22) April 24, 2016
MUCH NINJA!!! SUCH WOW!!!! #UFC197
— Naya Rae Rodriguez (@NooberNaya) April 24, 2016
“Jumping roundhouse kick to the face!” –@joerogan — Yair Rodriguez got game. What a way to start the PPV. #UFC197
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) April 24, 2016
Go outside to burn one and comeback missing that KO FLM
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) April 24, 2016
Damn. Still thinking about that knockout like #UFC197 pic.twitter.com/7KGuysEc0R
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) April 24, 2016
The post Twitter Reacts to Jones’ Return, “Mighty Mouse” KO at UFC 197 appeared first on LowKick MMA.