Today in MMA history: Jones-OSP UFC 197 title fight no one saw coming
TL;DR
Ten years ago, UFC 197 featured an unexpected title fight between Jon Jones and Ovince Saint Preux. The event took place in Las Vegas after a judicial ruling delayed UFC's debut in New York.
Key points
- UFC 197 took place on April 23, 2016.
- Jon Jones fought Ovince Saint Preux for the interim title.
- The event was initially planned for Madison Square Garden.
Mentioned in this story
It's been a full decade since one of the strangest title fights in UFC history – and an event that featured an extraordinary amount of musical chairs.
In retrospect, compared to other events that have been scrapped by the promotion, it's a wonder UFC 197 survived. But it did, headlined by an interim light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Ovince Saint Preux in Las Vegas 10 years ago – April 23, 2016.
In the months prior, the UFC was trying to finalize its first event at Madison Square Garden in New York. But a Hail Mary judicial ruling pushed the promotion's New York debut to later in the year, which opened the door for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas to host the card.
But when it came to personnel, things were dicy throughout. Daniel Cormier was supposed to defend his 205-pound title against Jon Jones in the main event. Jones had been stripped for his hit-and-run incident, and Cormier won it afterward against Anthony Johnson.
A month before the fight, Jones ran into more trouble with the law and driving and was arrested. But the fight went on – only to have Cormier pull out the next day with an injury. And suddenly, there was a need for an interim title.
Jones, naturally, was one-half of the equation. But the other half, Johnson, couldn't take the fight. And that paved the way for Saint Preux, who came in with a winning streak of exactly one fight – a decision over Rafael Cavalcante.
The fight wasn't close. Jones cruised to a unanimous decision with a pair of 50-45 scores, plus a 50-44 for the shutout. At least the co-main event had some excitement when Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight title with a first-round knockout of Henry Cejudo.
Take some looks back at UFC 197 below.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: April 23, 2016, MMA history: Jon Jones vs. Ovince Saint Preux, UFC 197
Q&A
What was the significance of UFC 197 in MMA history?
UFC 197 is notable for featuring an interim light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Ovince Saint Preux, marking a strange chapter in UFC's event history.
Why was Jon Jones not fighting Daniel Cormier at UFC 197?
Jon Jones was unable to fight Daniel Cormier at UFC 197 because he was stripped of his title due to a hit-and-run incident, leading to Cormier winning the title against Anthony Johnson.
What led to the UFC 197 event being held in Las Vegas instead of New York?
A judicial ruling delayed UFC's debut at Madison Square Garden, allowing UFC 197 to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
