What Happens If Ovince St. Preux Beats Jon Jones?

The UFC light-heavyweight division faced some complications over the last year and change, continuing up until present day, after a number of different factors impacted the top end of the 205-pound class. First off Jon Jones went in to meltdown, was stripped of the belt and temporarily exiled from the UFC. Daniel Cormier stepped in and filled the slot, then defended the title once, and set himself up for a big rematch with ‘Bones’ at UFC 197. Then came Cormier’s first withdrawal from a professional mixed martial arts bout, as he was injured in recent weeks and forced off the April 23 card.

Now, following the recent trend, the interim light-heavyweight title is on the line between Jones and late substitute Ovince Saint Preux. ‘Bones’ is a massive favorite coming in to their fight, with the betting offices recognizing his calibre as (statistically) the greatest light-heavyweight champion in the promotion’s history. Everyone is so busy talking about UFC 200 as the date for Jones vs ‘DC’ 2, that they seem to be overlooking what’s coming up before that. St. Preux is a dangerous fighter, and has beaten some very tough guys during his time in the UFC and Strikeforce. On top of that, he’s got some serious physical advantages to bring to this interim title bout.

So, what happens if Ovince St. Preux shocks the world and demolishes Jon Jones at UFC 197?

Cormier vs. Jones 2, meet the back burner 

Inevitably the rematch that everyone has waited so long for will have to wait. ‘DC’ and ‘Bones’ threw down in January 2015 at UFC 182 after perhaps the fiercest rivalry in the promotion’s history, but the fight left many questions remaining. It seemed as though Cormier’s performance was out of character, or perhaps Jones just made it look that way, regardless it had fans and pundits longing for the second meeting.

Once Jones was embroiled in legal troubles and Cormier took over as champion, there’s been a strange turning of tables. For some reason certain sects of fans are labelling ‘DC’ a fake champion, as if he had something to do with Jones’ reckless behaviour during his New Mexico hit-and-run. All these factors make Cormier vs. Jones 2 a must see spectacle, but OSP could quite easily make it another rematch like Jones vs. Gus 2, one that’s been wanting for a lifetime, but always been out of reach.

Put some meat on those ‘Bones’

Perhaps a loss to OSP would signal Jon Jones’ time for a change in weight class. Without disrespecting St. Preux with this statement, it might show that Jones’ body is just getting too naturally big to cut down to 205 pounds any more. Let’s be honest, the guy is huge, and Jones has been linked to a move up in to the 265ers for some time now. He has plenty of willing fights up there, and why stay at light-heavyweight if there’s no chance of regaining the belt?

Of course a move to heavyweight has a whole new set of factors to mull over, such as the sudden loss of his size and reach advantage, on the most part. Suddenly ‘Bones’ would be in a one punch KO division, where a jab can even finish the fight, and he’s not a one strike finisher by any means. Of course his additional power gained from having packed on more muscle may have changed that, but it may also have altered his ability to cut back to light-heavyweight too. Intriguing stuff no doubt.

The new era

As well as the already discussed ramifications of a Jon Jones loss at UFC 197, it could also spell out a new era for the UFC light-heavyweight division. For some time now it’s been ruled by Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones, with top contenders Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson chomping away at the bit. Victory for Ovince St. Preux could open the floodgates to the rest of the division once again, and renew the possibilities for the fighters that Jones pretty much cleared out during his reign.

No longer would it be about the ex-champ fighting for his spot at the top again, where many believe his rightful place is, it would suddenly be about OSP coming in to his prime, and would set up another very interesting fight…

Cormier vs. OSP

Here’s one for ya, and one that hasn’t really been discussed much given the astronomical odds against St. Preux at UFC 197. How would this fight go down? Could OSP go from the massive underdog against the uncrowned champion at UFC 197, to the interim champ with fire in his heart, to the undisputed UFC light-heavyweight champion in the space of a few months? He’s just two fights away from doing so, but it’s a gargantuan task, and would include some monstrous upsets in the meantime.

If he is able to get past ‘Bones’ with perhaps the biggest upset in modern MMA, certainly in the division’s history, could Saint Preux take out ‘DC?’ Many would argue that Cormier actually has a far more challenging style for OSP than Jones does. That heavy wrestling base is what saw OSP man handled against Ryan Bader, and Cormier is the king of that grinding style. All in all, a win for OSP against Jones would be game changing, with ramifications in multiple divisions, and would alter the future of the UFC immeasurably.

But until April 23 all we have is speculation and hype, and you know we love to partake in both, so stay tuned to LowKick.