UFC 197 Results: Jones vs. St. Preux

UFC 197: Jones vs. Saint Preux took place on April 23, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jon Jones returned after more than a year away and defeated Ovince Saint Preux by unanimous decision to win the interim UFC light heavyweight championship. Demetrious Johnson overwhelmed Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in the first round to retain the flyweight title.

View the official UFC 197 event archive on UFC.com.

Jones wins interim gold in his return

Saint Preux replaced injured champion Daniel Cormier on short notice. Jones showed some ring rust but controlled the fight with kicks, distance, takedowns, and elbows. He swept the scorecards 50–44, 50–45, and 50–45.

The victory gave Jones the interim light heavyweight title and set up another planned fight with Cormier.

Johnson dismantles Cejudo in under three minutes

Cejudo’s Olympic wrestling credentials made him one of Johnson’s most intriguing challengers, but the champion denied him room to work. Johnson attacked in the clinch with knees and elbows, then swarmed with punches for the stoppage at 2:49 of round one.

Barboza and Rodriguez score major wins

Edson Barboza outpointed former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, repeatedly punishing the legs and body. Robert Whittaker defeated Rafael Natal by unanimous decision. Yair Rodriguez knocked out Andre Fili with a flying roundhouse kick at 2:15 of round two.

Complete UFC 197 results

• Jon Jones def. Ovince Saint Preux — unanimous decision; round 5, 5:00. Jones won the interim UFC light heavyweight championship.
• Demetrious Johnson def. Henry Cejudo — TKO (knees and punches); round 1, 2:49. Johnson retained the UFC flyweight championship.
• Edson Barboza def. Anthony Pettis — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Robert Whittaker def. Rafael Natal — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Yair Rodriguez def. Andre Fili — KO (flying roundhouse kick); round 2, 2:15.
• Sergio Pettis def. Chris Kelades — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Danny Roberts def. Dominique Steele — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Carla Esparza def. Juliana Lima — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• James Vick def. Glaico França — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Walt Harris def. Cody East — TKO (punches); round 1, 4:18.
• Marcos Rogério de Lima def. Clint Hester — submission (arm-triangle choke); round 1, 4:35.
• Kevin Lee def. Efrain Escudero — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.

UFC 197 marked Jones’s return, another dominant Johnson title defense, and breakthrough performances from Rodriguez and Whittaker.

Sources

UFC: complete UFC 197 results; Event results record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 197, Mixed Martial Arts