Edson Barboza kicks Anthony Pettis during a lightweight mixed martial arts bout at UFC 197, Saturday, April 23, 2016, in Las Vegas.
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UFC 197’s Main event showcased the return of Jon “Bones” Jones facing Ovince St. Preux for the Interim Light-Heavy Title.
On probation for a previous hit-and-run crash in New Mexico, Jones had been stripped of the title.
The judges scorecards read; 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45.
Jones hasn’t fought since beating Cormier to retain the title in January 2015.
“A part of me was just like, ‘you gotta fight DC, Jon”. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Dana White said that if Cormier is cleared in his MRI on Monday then he and Jones will headline the event.
Two people clapped for Saint Preux as the fighters headed to the Octagon, vastly outmatched by the applause, whistles and cheers for Jones.
Jones’ main card bout against the Tennessee-born Saint Preux was the first time the world had seen him take to the octagon since his incident. Saint Preux was able to close the distance in the second round, landing a few strikes in a closely contested round.
This wasn’t Jones’ best performance, and looked like he badly needed a fight before competing for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Jones continued to push the pace and landed another takedown, which saw him get into side control and drop several elbows from top position.
But Jones turned up the tempo in the fourth.
“I felt good, like my recovery, I’ve never felt this good”, Cejudo said. “My next one’s going to be a hell of a lot better, I guarantee it”.
Just listened back to interview and @danawhite said if Jones/DC are healthy, it’s “possible” for UFC 200, different from what I tweeted.
Ovince Saint Preux (19-8) has gained respect in the industry as a top-rank contender after the fight with Jones, and had even hold more validity having fought one of the pound-for-pound UFC greats with a broken arm for more than 3 rounds.
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However, this is the first time he has faced a fighter with two exceptional bases, in wrestling, where Cejudo’s accomplishments speak for themselves, and boxing, with three years of amateur experience and a Golden Gloves title to his name.
