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Jon Jones On Point For Return At UFC 197

By Caitlin Johnstone
Published on: 14:49 PST, Apr 22, 2016

Two belts are on the line at UFC 197 on Saturday night, and all four fighters have made weight for their respective title contests.

Former longstanding Light Heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound king Jon “Bones” Jones will be making his hotly-anticipated return to the octagon against No. 6-ranked UFC Light Heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux. Both fighters weighed in at the 205-pound limit for their contest for the Interim Light Heavyweight Championship.

Jones was originally scheduled to face reigning champion Daniel Cormier in a rematch of their close January, 2015, war, but Cormier was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a leg injury sustained in training at the beginning of this month. Saint Preux stepped in as a late replacement — and hefty underdog — to save the event, which will give the winner the interim title and a shot at Cormier’s belt upon his return. Jones won his last fight with the current champion and never lost his belt, having been instead stripped of his title after pleading guilty to a hit-and-run a year ago.

Also on the line is the Flyweight belt, being defended by the only champion the division has ever had and current longest-reigning titleholder anywhere in the UFC, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Johnson will hope to keep his phenomenal streak going with an eighth consecutive title defense against the undefeated wrestling powerhouse Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo. In addition to his unbeaten record, Cejudo holds the impressive distinctions of being the No. 2-ranked Flyweight in the UFC and the youngest American ever to win a gold medal in freestyle wrestling.

Cejudo will need every ounce of his athletic chops to overcome “Mighty Mouse,” whom many regard as one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. Johnson’s speed, technical finesse, footwork, nonstop cardio and creative approaches to MMA striking and grappling have been too daunting an obstacle for any Flyweight to overcome as yet. Cejudo is expected to try and use his wrestling to stifle Johnson’s movement and slow the fight down to a grinding war, which may work to his advantage. This will be Cejudo’s first five-round fight.

Both fighters weighed in at the 125-pound title fight limit last night.

Also squaring off on the UFC 197 card are two perennial Lightweight contenders who together have some of the most spectacular highlight-reel kicks that the sport has ever seen. No. 3-ranked former champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis will face No. 8-ranked Edson Barboza in what promises to be an exciting clash between two of the division’s most feared and respected strikers.

Despite their similarities in legendary kicking power and penchant for highlight-reel finishes, the two fighters have very distinct striking styles which make for an intriguing matchup that MMA fans everywhere have been looking forward to watching. Both the more muay thai-centric Barboza and the more heavily taekwondo-influenced Pettis have faced setbacks to their careers in recent bouts, so a win Saturday will have important implications regarding the hopes of a future title run for both fighters.

No. 8-ranked Middleweight Robert Whittaker will look to extend his four-fight unbeaten streak to five against Rafael Natal, who also rides a four-win streak into this fight. Despite their similar records of late (which each include a win over the enigmatic knockout artist Uriah Hall), Whittaker will come into the fight as a -325 favorite to win.

[Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images]

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