Dana White: Jon Jones Looked Rusty At UFC 197
After spending nearly 16 months on the sidelines dealing with legal issues, reigning pound-for-pound king and former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones finally made his long awaited return in the main event of last night’s (April 23, 2016) UFC 197 from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although originally scheduled to meet Daniel Cormier for the undisputed title, Jones ultimately clashed with No. 6-ranked Ovince St. Preux for the interim strap after Cormier suffered an injury.
“Bones” would go on to score a unanimous decision victory over OSP, winning every round on the judges’ score cards.
Despite Jones’ victory, UFC president Dana White feels as if it was a ‘good’ thing that the former champion didn’t meet Cormier right away in his return:
“I’m a firm believer in ring rust,” White said on the FOX Sports 1 post-fight show. “”Jon Jones looked rusty tonight and it was a really good thing for him that it was OSP tonight, the sixth-ranked guy, and not Cormier, because he was able to get some rounds under his belt, get in there and feel himself out. Now he knows what he has to do when he gets back in the gym.”
Continuing on at the post-fight press conference, White admitted that while Jones may not have looked his best, he did indeed get the victory which of course is most important:
“Did Jon look like a world-beater?” White said at the post-fight press conference. “Did he look like the Jon Jones who many say is possibly the greatest ever? No, but he won tonight.”
Now the interim champion, Jones will finally get the chance to reclaim what he feels is rightfully his when he meets Cormier for the undisputed title, a bout that could headline July 9’s UFC 200.
