UFC 197 made it official: Jon Jones is back.
The former light heavyweight champion successfully returned after more than a year away from the Octagon with a unanimous-decision win over Ovince Saint Preux in Saturday's main event in Las Vegas.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports tweeted out the judges' scores:
Judges: 50-44 and 50-45 twice for Jon Jones, the interim light heavyweight champion.
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) April 24, 2016
The first round was short on action. Bones' highly anticipated return saw the fighters trying to gauge distance and get a feel for each other instead of seeking to cause damage.
Scott Harris of Bleacher Report noted Jones' calculated start:
Jon Jones easing into the cage like an old man into the hot tub. #UFC197
— Scott Harris (@ScottHarrisMMA) April 24, 2016
The second frame saw Jones mount more offense as he put OSP against the fence and utilized some elbows that looked like vintage Jones.
As the fight progressed, the same familiar story began to unfold. Saint Preux had some moments, but Jones' ability to pick apart his opponent with an array of body attacks and oblique kicks wore him down and constantly threw him off rhythm.
The fourth round saw Jones go back to another familiar part of his game as he landed a takedown. Then rust reared its ugly head as Saint Preux popped back up, via the UFC:
.@JonnyBones gets the huge takedown but @003_OSP bounces right back up. Very competitive fight! #UFC197 https://t.co/0LW7sy2Sv8
— #UFC197 (@ufc) April 24, 2016
Jones secured another takedown later in the round and didn't give that one up. He battered OSP with elbows from the top position to end the round.
The former champion was unable to parlay that momentum into a finish, but he did cruise to a unanimous-decision victory despite some signs of ring rust against an inferior opponent.
The matchup wasn't just about Jones beating Saint Preux. This was designed to be a tuneup fight. OSP ranked sixth in the light heavyweight division heading into the bout, so he shouldn't have been much of a threat for a man who never lost his belt in the Octagon.
Saturday's fight was about Jones putting some of the demons that forced him to lose the belt behind him. The UFC stripped him of the title in April 2015 for disciplinary reasons after a hit-and-run incident.
Now, the new interim titleholder feels he's ready to get back to the top.
"Right now—I could be at the beginning of the book still,” he said, per Matt Parrino of UFC.com. “So the little hiccups, they don’t define me. I just know I have a lot of work to do to make sure the ending [of the book] is something powerful. That it’s something people can look up to and draw strength from in the future.”
Jones' potential road to redemption started with a win over Saint Preux, but he's not back to where he once was. That would mean unifying his interim belt with the one Daniel Cormier owns.
Cormier lost to Jones in the final fight before Bones' legal troubles forced him into a hiatus, but Cormier since captured the 205-pound crown with a win over Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.
According to commentator Mike Goldberg (via Bloody Elbow), the win for Jones likely means a rematch between the two bitter rivals will be the main event at UFC 200:
Goldberg just flat out said that if Jones beats OSP, Cormier/Jones 2 will headline UFC 200. #UFC197
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) April 24, 2016
That news couldn't have come at a better time for the UFC. The feud between Jones and Cormier is one of the most bitter in the sport. The title fight should have plenty of heat and won't be hard to promote.
The original main event was supposed to be a rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, but a disagreement over McGregor's promotional responsibilities caused UFC President Dana White to pull him from the card, per Martin Rogers of USA Today.
In other words, the UFC is depending on Jones to bring in comparable numbers to the man who became the promotion's biggest star during his absence from the organization.
It looks like Jones' comeback couldn't have come at a better time.
