Jon Jones wins unanimous decision in return to UFC
While it was far from the best performance of his career, Jon Jones can live with the victory he scored over Ovince Saint Preux to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship interim light heavyweight title.
But he certainly wasn’t thrilled with the prize.
Jones won all five rounds on his way to a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 197 at the MGM Grand Garden, but refused to wear the interim belt after the win.
“I don’t think I want that belt,” he said. “It’s not the real belt. I want my actual belt back.”
He might not have to wait much longer to get a chance to win it back. Jones had the belt he had held since 2011 stripped last April and was suspended indefinitely after he was charged in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones had last fought when he successfully defended the belt against Daniel Cormier in January 2015.
Jones was supposed to face Cormier on Saturday, but the current champion was forced out because of injury. Jones’ victory should set up a light heavyweight title unification bout this summer, possibly at UFC 200 on July 9 at T-Mobile Arena.
Jones kept Saint Preux at bay for most of the first three rounds with kicks to the legs and body.
“I was watching and anticipating, knowing my techniques would have landed and just not going for it,” Jones said.
He took over the fight with two slams in the fourth round, as he pinned Saint Preux to the cage and picked him up before driving him to the mat. He spent the last minute of the round punishing him with short elbows on the ground.
Jones slammed Saint Preux again in a fifth round that didn’t feature much drama for either fighter.
“Sorry guys if you weren’t satisfied with that,” Jones said. “I definitely gave it my best. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe I needed to get a fight out of the way (before facing Cormier).”
Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson had to make no such apologies as he continued his dominance of the division with his eighth consecutive title defense.
Johnson knocked out 2008 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo in the first round.
Johnson landed a series of knees to the head and body of Cejudo in the clinch, eventually sending him staggering back across the cage. Johnson charged and landed a left hand and another knee to the body that dropped him. Cejudo had the first loss of his career seconds later when Johnson followed with punches on the ground until the fight was stopped at 2:49.
“There is no game plan. I just come in here and fight,” Johnson said. “My clinch is very dangerous. When I got him off balance and hit him with a knee to the liver and heard him say, ‘Ugh,’ I knew it was over.
“I’m the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and I will continue to show it.”
Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis suffered his third consecutive loss, dropping a unanimous decision to Edson Barboza.
Pettis had been frustrated in his last fight when Eddie Alvarez neutralized his speed and flashy strikes by consistently taking him down, but Barboza beat him at his own game.
“It wasn’t that I was worried about his different kicks, it was more that he was a hard guy to land on,” Pettis said. “We got into more of a hand fight, and when I was in there, I felt comfortable.
“This is all that I know, so this is tough.”
Pettis was hesitant early to get his offensive attacks, and Barboza made him pay with jabs and leg kicks that slowed Pettis when he opened up later in the fight.
Streaking featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez might have become a star with his first knockout in the UFC.
Rodriguez appeared as if he would try a flying knee on Andre Fili, but brought his left foot through and landed a kick square to Fili’s head that knocked him cold in the second round.
It was a move almost reminiscent of the crane kick landed by the lead character in the original “Karate Kid.”
“I knew Andre was aggressive, and I was ready for him,” Rodriguez said. “I knew that when he was moving back, after I closed his eye with a punch, that I had him in a bad position.”
Rising middleweight contender Robert Whittaker won his fifth straight fight with a unanimous decision over Rafael Natal, who also entered on a four-fight winning streak.
Whittaker peppered Natal with punches to the head and endured a hand injury early in the fight and a barrage of kicks to his lead leg to get the win.
“I was looking for the finish the whole time, but he is a very tough guy,” the Australian said. “ I think he knew I wasn’t going to let him take me down, so he had to stand with me. I broke my hand early, my leg is a bit sore, too. I should’ve checked some of those kicks, but I got the win, so it’s all good.”
Las Vegan Kevin Lee got back on track with a unanimous decision over Efrain Escudero in a lightweight bout on the preliminary card. Lee had his four-fight winning streak snapped by a surprising knockout against Leandro Santos in December.
Lee took control of a close fight Saturday by scoring an early takedown in the third round and grinding down the Season 8 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” in the final round.
“The thing for me was getting the win,” Lee said. “In the third, when I had him hurt, it was all about getting the ‘W’ and keeping him down. I feel like I can use my wrestling like I did in the third round against anyone.”
Lee again lobbied for a fight against star prospect Sage Northcutt, who is scheduled to face Enrique Marin on July 9 at UFC 200 at T-Mobile Arena.
“I’m looking to get on UFC 200,” Lee said. “Put me against Sage, let’s not wait around to do this.”
Sergio Pettis, the younger brother of Anthony Pettis, won a unanimous decision over Chris Kelades in a flyweight bout.
Also, lightweight James Vick and former women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza won unanimous decisions.
Vick defeated Glaico Franca. Esparza took down Juliana Pena at will and controlled position throughout the fight in her first action since losing her title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
“It feels good to get back in the win column and to get that fight out of the way,” said Esparza, who is coming off shoulder surgery. “I was so stressed this week.”
Walt Harris knocked out Cody East in the first round of a heavyweight bout, and light heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima needed 4:35 to stop Clint Hester with an arm-triangle choke.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj
