It's impossible to know exactly what to expect when Jon Jones returns to the Octagon for the first time in 15 months at UFC 197 on Saturday night. The dominant former light heavyweight champion has gone through a lot in his personal life since his victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in January 2015.
Saturday's event was supposed to feature a rematch with Cormier, who had to pull out three weeks before the fight with a foot injury. Instead, Jones will take on unheralded foe Ovince Saint Preux and look to quickly establish himself as the pound-for-pound king once again.
Let's check out all of the important information for Jones' return to action. That's followed by a look at the odds and a prediction for the hyped main event.
UFC 197 Details
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
When: Saturday at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Pay-per-view
Live Stream: UFC TV
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Jones vs. Saint Preux Odds
Main Event Preview
As mentioned, it's been a difficult stretch for Jones since his last UFC fight as he's dealt with several issues outside of competition. Now, the onus is on him to get both his professional career and personal life back on track.
He opened up about the situation to Martin Rogers of USA Today. The New York native explained that marijuana had taken complete control of his life:
One thing people don't realize is that you can be a drug addict even if you are a stoner. If you are waking up every day and smoking, smoking before you eat, smoking before you train, smoke before you sleep, smoking before you watch a movie, smoking before your study session, you are an addict. It doesn't have to be a hard drug to be an addict.
The 28-year-old star heads into his clash with Saint Preux sporting a 21-1 career record. At his peak, his combination of length and technical ability made him virtually unbeatable. He completely owned the light heavyweight division and often made it look easy.
As a result, it's no surprise the numbers provided by Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics lean heavily in Jones' favor ahead of Saturday's fight:
It's not a guarantee that version of Jones shows up, though. Being able to replicate that type of success after such an extended layoff is a tricky task, especially for a fighter who showcased such a consistent rhythm and flow in his fights.
Saint Preux is a dangerous opponent for somebody who could be dealing with some rust, too. While Jones holds an advantage in most areas, the 33-year-old veteran is powerful and will likely come out aggressively, hoping to catch the former champion with some heavy shots before he settles in.
That said, the underdog isn't expecting Jones to suffer much of a drop-off, per Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMAJunkie.
"The version I've always seen," Saint Preux said. "That's the version I want to fight, anyway. It makes me that much better. It's just going to make the fight that much more epic."
MMA Beef passed along another breakdown of the intriguing matchup:
The bottom line is that this bout is a good measuring stick for Jones. It's a fight he should win so long as he performs anywhere near the level he did before the extended absence. But Saint Preux is talented enough to pull off the upset if the favorite is sluggish in the early going.
Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone noted it could also be somewhat of a warm-up fight:
Ultimately, Jones has too many weapons at his disposal as the better all-around fighter, and that should pay off in the end. Even if he's not able to finish it in the middle rounds, he should win a comfortable decision to set the table for a marquee battle with Cormier.
Prediction: Jones by unanimous decision
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