Will Ovince break bones? Or will Jon be crowned “And New.”
Freaked out, afraid. The three words Jon Jones used to describe the hit
and run ordeal in which he was involved in last year. Interestingly enough,
next Wednesday (April 27th) marks a year in which the "worst 16 seconds of
my life" occurred for Jones. Nevertheless, the whole situation has felt
like a "blessing" for Bones in which he described in detail to Ariel
Helwani as they took a long walk through Albuquerque and discussed the accident
last November.
However, the bad times are in the past for the pound-for-pound number
one, and this Saturday at the MGM, he will be looking to flip the tables as he
faces the explosive athlete in Ovince Saint Preux. Of course this was never the
original plan heading to UFC 197's main event. As Daniel Cormier withdrew coincidentally
on April 1st, to many fans disappointment that this wasn't an April Fools',
citing a foot injury. With many 205-pounders already booked to fight in the
near future, it was #6 ranked OSP who got the call to face Bones for the
interim belt at 205.
P4P #1 Jones has kept in great shape for this fight camp. |
Jones, who has never looked in better shape for a fight, last fought all
the way back at UFC 182 in which he handed his biggest adversary Cormier his
first MMA loss of his career. With razor sharp Muay Thai, and gritty Greco-Roman
wrestling, Bones will be looking to come out this fight clean as he has already
mentioned he's "willing" to fight at UFC 200. Although, it is
certainly no-easy task to say the least as he will have to get through a
powerful stand up fighter with heavy hands in Saint-Preux. Funnily enough, the
last time fight plans for UFC 200 were being made in the lead up to a fight did
not end the way many expected. That was last month at UFC 196 in which Nate
Diaz handed Conor McGregor his first loss in the UFC and proves once again the unpredictability
of this great promotion.
You wouldn't think the top two pound-for-pound fighters were fighting
this weekend would you? With all the controversy surrounding the recent statements
made by the notorious one, it has overshadowed the thrilling card in which UFC
197 sets out to be on paper. That's because the co-main event of the evening
features yet another title fight, this time in the flyweight division. Arguably
the most dominant champion of UFC history, Demetrious Johnson, takes on Olympic
gold medallist, Henry Cejudo, in what promises to be a compelling bout matchup
between veteran and newcomer. Mighty Mouse has single-handedly cruised through every
challenger that he has faced in the UFC, so enigmas have to be raised whether
Cejudo will become the odd one out, or just another fallen victim to DJ's
immense technique.
Both Segio & Anthony Pettis have trained with Jones for this fight camp, all three fight this Saturday at UFC 197. |
Tomorrow's nights intriguing match-ups do not stop there. Prior to the
co-main event, taekwondo specialists Anthony Pettis and Edson Barboza will face
off in a bout the could go down one of two ways; an amazing fight, or an
horrendous fight. Linking back to Pettis' latest defeat against Eddie Alvarez
in which many fans were not impressed in the manor Alvarez won the fight as
expectations were dampened on by reality. Two middleweights both on four-fight winning
streaks will collide as Robert Whittaker looks to put on another impressive
performance against BJJ black belt Rafael Natal. Finally, the on to watch is
the lightweight bout that kicks starts the main card. Two unorthodox, diverse
stand up artists in Yair Rodriquez and Andre Fili clash and look to both
provide an impressive performance to set up a strong start to this highly anticipated
card.