Instead of a rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier to headline UFC 197 on Apr. 23, Jones will be taking on Ovince Saint Preux after Cormier had to withdraw from the fight due to injury.
A light heavyweight title fight has now become an interim title bout while Cormier recovers, as we take a look at how Saint Preux and Jones match up:
One of Saint Preux's biggest strengths in the Octagon is his wrestling abilities, which not only takes down opponents, but creates submission opportunities once they're down there.
He put those skills on display at UFC 171, when he put Nikita Krylov to sleep:
Once a defensive end and linebacker with the University of Tennessee, Saint Preux knows how to bring his opponents down to the mats.
The problem is that he'll be trying to take down Jones, who rarely gets taken down. According to UFC, Jones has avoided 95 percent of takedown attempts.
Jones also has something to prove, as this will be his first UFC event since being stripped of his light heavyweight title and suspended for his involvement in a hit-and-run incident in April of 2015.
It will be an opportunity to show the UFC world that he is still the explosive, athletic fighter that UFC commentator Joe Rogan gushed about in December of 2014:
Due to his prolonged absence, it remains to be seen if Jones will be the same kind of fighter, which adds a bit more interest to this fight.
Had Jones been fighting for the past year, this bout probably wouldn't have provided much of an entertainment value in terms of upset prospects.
But there is a possibility that Saint Preux could come out flying and completely blindside Jones. For that, this fight might salvage what was a lost opportunity at a big rematch.
Stats courtesy of UFC.com
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