Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones makes his return to the Octagon on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Jones will face Ovince Saint Preux (OSP) in the main event of UFC 197. Jones was supposed to take on current 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier in a rematch for the title, but the latter suffered an injury that forced him out of the bout.
OSP stepped in to take his place, and the new matchup tops off a pretty interesting lineup of fights. In the co-main event, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will defend his title against Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo.
Both Johnson and Cejudo spoke during the event's media day. A snippet of their time with the media:
Here's a look at the scheduled fights, predictions and viewing info.
Main Card
PPV card begins at 10 p.m. ET
- Jon Jones vs. Ovince Saint Preux — Prediction: Jones by third-round TKO
- (c) Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo — Prediction: Johnson by unanimous decision
- Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Pettis — Prediction: Pettis by second-round submission
- Rafael Natal vs. Robert Whittaker — Prediction: Whittaker by first-round KO
- Andre Fili vs. Yair Rodriguez — Prediction: Rodriguez by second-round TKO
Undercard
Fox Sports 1 Prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Clint Hester — Prediction: De Lima by first-round submission
- Glaico Franca vs. James Vick — Prediction: Vick by third-round TKO
- Efrain Escudero vs. Kevin Lee — Prediction: Lee by first-round TKO
- Daniel Roberts vs. Dominique Steele — Prediction: Roberts by unanimous decision
Fight Pass Prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET
- Carla Esparza vs. Juliana Lima — Prediction: Esparza by unanimous decision
- Chris Kelades vs. Sergio Pettis — Prediction: Pettis by second-round submission
- Cody East vs. Walt Harris — Prediction: East by second-round TKO
Pettis' All-Around Game Will Lead to Victory
On paper, the Anthony "Showtime" Pettis vs. Edson Barboza bout seems like it could be an epic clash of dynamic strikers. Oftentimes, that kind of matchup leads to a tentative bout where neither fighter wants to engage to give his opponent an opening.
It's easy to see this fight transpiring that way. Pettis has lost his last two fights, and Barboza dropped his last bout as well. Both men will be careful during the first round, but by the second frame, Barboza will open up a more aggressive attack.
Expect Pettis to counter by taking the fight to the ground where he'll prove to have an advantage. Pettis is one of the more crafty submission artists in the world, and he'll grab a win via second-round submission over Barboza.
Johnson is Too Fast for Cejudo
Olympic Gold Medalists deserve a ton of respect, but the honor doesn't win you any rounds in the UFC. Cejudo has faced elite competition during his career in combat sports, but he's never gone up against anyone like Mighty Mouse.
Johnson's combination of speed and technical prowess will overwhelm Cejudo. The only chance Cejudo has to win is to take Johnson down so that he can attempt to have his way on the ground. But Johnson is so slippery and quick, that's a task that is easier contemplated than executed.
The champion will pick Cejudo apart with strikes as he darts in and out of range. If the fight does go to the ground, Johnson will prove to be too elusive for Cejudo to gain an advantage.
Mighty Mouse can do more than elude Cejudo on the ground. If Johnson submitted the former Olympian, it wouldn't be shocking. The prediction here is: a lopsided unanimous decision, but Johnson is simply better, and he could win in a variety of ways.
Jones Will Impress With Stoppage Win
Jones doesn't just defeat his opponents. In most cases, he appears to enjoy beating them at their own game. When he defeated Cormier in their initial meeting, many experts—including myself—said: "Bones may be in trouble if the fight becomes a wrestling match."
What did Jones do? He wrestled Cormier and even took him down. Some might say Jones can make his fight with OSP easier if he takes it to the ground. You'd expect Jones would have an advantage as a wrestler, while OSP has devastating power in his striking game.
Based on that, Jones will probably go right at OSP in an effort to make a statement with a stoppage victory. OSP is an excellent light heavyweight, but Jones has too many tools at his disposal. His punches, elbows, knees and kicks can be deadly, and if the fight does go to the ground, Jones has the jiu-jitsu game to exploit OSP.
Jones will win by third-round TKO.
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