Jon Jones made his return to the Octagon in more than a year Saturday night at UFC 197. He defeated Ovince Saint Preux by unanimous decision to become the new interim light heavyweight champion. Jones’s win now paves the way for a rematch with champion Daniel Cormier.
Dana White has indicated that the rematch could be the main event at UFC 200 if both fighters are medically cleared. “Bones” did not have his best performance inside the cage despite his dominant win. He acknowledged it in the post-fight interview and press conference.
“I was way too hesitant in there,” Jones said in the post-fight press conference. “I am grateful for a lot but I am still a little bit disappointed.”
Jon Jones was originally supposed to fight Daniel Cormier but he pulled out with an injury and Ovince Saint Preux stepped in to take the fight on short notice. The switching up of opponents could have been a reason for the New York native’s performance, according to Jones.
“I think it was more of the switching up opponents,” Jones further said. “I am big into studying. Me and my team.”
In the past, Jon Jones declined to take a fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 151 after Dan Henderson pulled out. The entire event itself was ultimately cancelled so Jones felt that he wanted to take the fight against OSP and make up for it.
“I’m not one to fight last minute opponents like that,” Jones said further. “I switched up to a big old hard hitting southpaw. I was so primed to fight Daniel Cormier.”
Ultimately, Jones did win the fight impressively and will fight Daniel Cormier at a later date.
