J. Jones (photo) will be in the main fight of UFC 197. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
He's back. Considered the best pound-for-pound fighter today and one of the greatest of all time in MMA, Jon Jones returns to the UFC this Saturday (23), in the main fight of UFC 197, in Las Vegas (USA). Your opponent will be Ovince St Preux, in a duel that will put the interim belt in the light heavyweight category at stake.
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Jones' main goal will be to show the world that he is still the same fighter who has haunted the 93 kg division in recent years. That's because the North American hasn't fought since January 2015, when, on that occasion, he crashed Daniel Cormier to defend the category belt.
Since then, a lot has happened in Jones' personal life. The most serious of these was in April last year, when he was involved in a traffic accident and fled the scene without helping one of the victims, a pregnant woman. For this reason, the UFC suspended the North American and stripped him of the category title.
“Bones”, then, went through drastic changes in his life. The fighter confessed that he was addicted to drugs, especially marijuana, but that he has now been “clean” for more than seven months. Furthermore, Jones revealed that he now views his career differently, taking training more seriously than he did in the past.
Retaking the belt? 
The original plan for UFC 197 was for Jones to return against the new weight champion, Daniel Cormier. However, “DC” was injured, was removed from the attraction and replaced by St. Preux, in a fight that will now put the interim title at stake.
It is no coincidence that Jones is considered a strong favorite for the fight. The former champion has rarely been in trouble inside the Octagon, even though he has already faced very high level opponents, such as Cormier, Alexander Gustafson, Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira, Mauritius Shogun, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Rashad evans, Among others.
However, defeating St. Preux is far from an easy task. Born in the United States, the Haitian descendant may be inferior to Jones in every aspect of fighting, but he still represents a constant danger to his opponents. “OSP”, as he is known, is famous for making good use of his wingspan and heavy hand, which has already victimized names like Mauritius Shogun, Patrick Cummins and Rafael Feijão. Although a victory for him seems unlikely, St. Preux has the tools to shock the world if Jones underestimates him. The former champion should keep his eyes open.
In the background, Johnson has a tough time ahead
DJ (photo) is the UFC flyweight champion. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
UFC 197 will also have another prominent fighter in the pound-for-pound rankings. The only champion of the flyweight category since the division was created in Ultimate, Demetrious Johnson He will face what may be the last challenge he has left at 57 kg: Henry Cejudo.
“Mighty Mouse” has already lined up people of the caliber of Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson, Kyoji Horiguchi, John Moraga and Ali Bagautinov. However, Cejudo represents an unprecedented challenge, especially due to his wrestling skills.
“The Messenger” was an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling in 2008 and has shown good progress in stand-up fighting. Such technical resources left him with an undefeated record in professional MMA, with ten wins in ten fights. If Cejudo will face an unprecedented challenge against Johnson, the same can be said about the champion.
Brazilians in weight
E. Barboza (photo) faces Pettis at UFC 197. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Even without any representatives in the two main fights of UFC 197, Brazil will be strong on this Saturday's card. In total, five fighters from the country will be in action during the program, two of which will face former Ultimate champions.
The big highlight will be Edson Barboza, who will do a duel strikers against the former lightweight belt holder Anthony Pettis. Juliana Lima, from Minas Gerais, known as “Juthai”, will measure forces against Carla esparza, first champion of the strawweight division.
the average weight Rafael Sapo will have a complicated mission against the promising Robert whittaker. The night will also feature guest appearances by Glaico France, champion of TUF Brasil 4 (against James Vick) and Marcos Foot (in front of Clint Hester).
Check out the UFC 197 technical sheet below:
DATE AND TIME: 23/04/2016, from 19:30 pm (Brasília time)
PLACE: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, United States
STREAMING: Combat Channel
MAIN CARD
Light heavyweights: Jon Jones (92,9 kg) x Ovince St Preux (92,9 kg)
Flies: Demetrious Johnson (56,7 kg) x Henry Cejudo (56,7 kg)
Mild: Anthony Pettis (70,7 kg) x Edson Barboza (70,3 kg)
Medium: Robert whittaker (84,1 kg) x Rafael Sapo (84,3 kg)
Feathers: Yair Rodriguez (66,0 kg) x André Fili (66,2 kg)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Flies: Sergio Pettis (57,1 kg) x Chris Kelades (57,1 kg)
Welterweights: Danny Roberts (77,3 kg) x Dominique Steele (77,5 kg)
Straws: Carla esparza (52,6 kg) x Juliana Lima (52,1 kg)
Mild: Glaico France (70,7 kg) x James Vick (70,3 kg)
Heavy: Walt Harris (115,8 kg) x Cody East (111,3 kg)
Light heavyweights: Marcos Foot (92,9 kg) x Clint Hester (92 kg)
Mild: Efrain Escudero (70,5 kg) x Kevin Lee (70,7 kg)
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