It is one of the most anticipated fights in the UFC, with the two thrash talking one another for a number of months now, with “Bones” getting the latest jab in as he exited the octagon last night.
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Although he left with the interim belt after battering his opponent with a bevy of strikes and big takedowns, Jones refused to recognize any championship status until winning the fight he was supposed to have at UFC 197: a rematch with bitter rival and UFC champ Daniel Cormier.
“I needed to do this and get this fight out of the way”. Jones’s offensive game was limited to snappy oblique and side kicks to the legs and body, and some unsafe elbows in close quarters. Jones was then scheduled to defend his title against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, however a hit and run incident resulting at the hands of Jones caused the UFC to suspend him indefinitely and strip him of the title. “And I want to prove that as soon as possible”. Coming into UFC 197, Jones was tied with Georges St-Pierre, who also won 12 straight UFC bouts. The first round between him and Andre Fili ended relatively even, with a frantic pace set by both featherweights.
Prior to Saturday, that was Jones’ most recent fight.
The fight was met with a negative reaction by the crowd at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, with a seemingly disappointed Jones apologising in his post-match interview for the display.
The fifth and final round saw Jones continue to stalk Saint Preux and land a massive takedown in the third minute.
“It definitely took me a while to pull the trigger tonight and I felt like I used 20 percent of the technique I actually know”, Jones said.
That caused Dana White to admit in a press conference that “I’ve never been embarrassed of a UFC fight like I was tonight”. Jones defeated Cormier in January 2015, and the two will likely have a rematch.
“My message is this: Get back in that gym on Tuesday, like you said”, Cormier said.
Ovince Saint Preux survived five rounds with arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in all of mixed martial arts, but he didn’t leave UFC 197 unscathed.
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Demetrious Johnson was an overwhelming favorite going into his eighth title defense for the flyweight championship against Henry Cejudo, although with the way big title fights have gone in recent months it’s a safe bet to say anything can happen. However, “The Messenger” was unable to do any damage and Johnson was able to get back to his feet.
