Jon Jones: OSP beating me would be 'greatest day' of UFC champ Daniel Cormier's life

Don’t let Jon Jones’ recent Twitter battle with rival Daniel Cormier cause any confusion: “Bones” is 100 percent focused on new UFC 197 opponent Ovince Saint Preux, he said.

Although Saint Preux (19-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) stepped in to fight Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) for the interim UFC light heavyweight title after champ Cormier (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) went down with an injury less than a month from the event, Jones and “DC” frequently continue to wage war on social media.

Cormier threw some shots in Jones’ direction following his turbulent year outside the octagon, and Jones responded with some jabs of his own. What puzzled Jones most, though, was Cormier’s offer to help train Saint Preux for the upcoming matchup, which headlines the April 23 pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Saint Preux declined the offer to use Cormier’s training camp, but to even propose such a thing was a huge sign of weakness on his rival’s behalf, Jones said.

“It makes it harder for ‘DC’ to sell that he’s not at least nervous,” Jones told MMAjunkie. “‘DC’ can say, ‘I’m not scared. I’m not nervous.’ But when you offer to pay and fly Ovince Saint Preux out to train him to beat me, it’s just – he showed his true colors. He showed he is nervous and that if Ovince Saint Preux were to win, it would be the greatest day of his life.”

While Jones, No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, engaged No. 2-ranked Cormier on Twitter, and is likely to do so again in the future, he said that shouldn’t be taken as a sign he’s distracted from the task at hand. No. 8-ranked Saint Preux might be the lowest-ranked opponent Jones has faced in years, but that doesn’t mean victory is guaranteed, he said.

Ovince Saint Preux

“I’m going to give him the respect he deserves, which is my full and undivided attention,” Jones said. “I know that sounds a little funny after my rant with ‘DC,’ but ‘DC,’ he doesn’t have my respect. So many of my fans tell me, ‘Jon, don’t argue with ‘DC.’ It’s just a strategy so you’re not focusing on Ovince Saint Preux.’ But literally I just deal with ‘DC’ on Twitter for a second then my whole day is about Ovince. He has my full and undivided attention.”

Not only is this the opportunity of a lifetime for “OSP,” but also it’s Jones’ chance to make a successful comeback after perhaps the most trying year of his life.

At this time last year, Jones was UFC light heavyweight champion, but a hit-and-run accident and arrest forced UFC officials to suspend him and strip him of the belt. He hasn’t competed since he bested Cormier by unanimous decision at UFC 182 in January 2015.

Even despite a recent jail stint of more than 48 hours, Jones said he’s in a good place heading into UFC 197. The Cormier rematch was undoubtedly more important to Jones’ career and more anticipated by fans, but he said fighting Saint Preux is also meaningful.

Losing the fight would be a massive setback in Jones’ quest to rematch Cormier and regain the undisputed 205-pound title. That’s why he’s giving Saint Preux his utmost attention.

“Every fighter is a new challenge you’ve never seen before, for the most part,” he said. “They zigzag and react a little differently. I knew nothing about him a few days ago, but I’ve been studying him nonstop. I feel like I know him pretty well now, studying his character, studying his fighting skills. I respect him. He seems like a good person, a hard worker. He’s young in the sport, ambitious and is taking the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m sure he’s going to give it all he’s got. Me being a veteran I know the importance of not underestimating. I’m not going to underestimate him.”

Jones is a huge betting favorite ahead of the fight with Saint Preux, and ultimately the bout is a path to bigger and better things. These bouts, though, have potential to be the most dangerous.

Another fight with Cormier is what all parties want most. If Jones dispatches Saint Preux at UFC 197, he said he’ll look to get his hands on Cormier at either UFC 200 in July or the organization’s debut event in New York City this fall.

“If the fight goes smoothly and I don’t get any injuries, I would love to fight at UFC 200,” Jones said. “If not there, then the first fight in New York. Either one of those places I would consider a great victory.”

For more on UFC 197, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.