Responding to the sign of disrespect after UFC 197, Cormier took it upon himself to remind Jon Jones who the champion is.
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With the promotion pulling Irishman Conor McGregor from the main event at UFC 200, Jones could fight Cormier for the title as early as July.
Elsewhere at UFC 197, Demetrious Johnson retained his flyweight title with a first-round TKO of Henry Cejudo, Edson Barboza defeated Anthony Pettis, Robert Whittaker overcame Rafael Natal and Yair Rodriguez beat Andre Fili.
When it was over, Jones actually refused the interim title and instead said that he was waiting until he could put the real belt around his waist after facing Daniel Cormier later this year.
Jon Jones shook his head in disappointment when the final horn sounded, but he walked away with a win over Ovince Saint Preux in his return to the UFC. While Jones has showed off on Instagram how much better shape he has been getting in, the face that he has not been in the Octagon since January 2015 will show itself if the fight gets into later rounds.
After the judges’ scores were announced – all three saw the bout for Jones, with two scoring it 50-45 and the other 50-44 – UFC president Dana White wrapped a shiny belt around Jones’s waist.
Jones has never been beat in the Octagon, with his lone loss coming via disqualification for a 12-6 elbow at The Ultimate Fighter 2 reality show finale.
“I’m really excited to fight Daniel Cormier”. “I don’t think he’s going to retire”.
Despite his wide points win, Jones felt he produced a tentative performance after a long lay-off. “When my adrenaline came down, I was in a lot of pain, so the wheelchair was there”.
Jones landed the more significant strikes in the first five minutes, showing off the kicking arsenal that has made him one of the most creative stand-up fighters in the game.
He also has some words for OSP who he believes might not be as calm as him and might chicken out during the fight. There will be some questions when Jon gets back home on Monday.
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We meet here, live, from T-Mobile Arena, the brand-new arena here in Las Vegas, and we unify these titles.
