2 weeks Ago By Jamie Theodosi
Jon Jones started his second reign as UFC light heavyweight champion after a return win following a 15-month absence.There are many reasons why Jon Jones is widely regarded as the greatest fighter of all time, one of which is that he has beaten several generations of the best light heavyweights during his time at the top.‘Bones’ has gone on to cement his name as the greatest after defending his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic last year, but doubts now remain regarding whether he will fight Tom Aspinall.
Although Jones’ career is littered with several incredible wins, like his scary submission over Lyoto Machida and his dominant first-round victory over Chael Sonnen, it was a fight against Ovince Saint Preux where he showed another side to his game.Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesJones rejected interim belt after beating Saint PreuxJones has faced several controversies throughout his career, and one was when he was suspended indefinitely after he beat Daniel Cormier for the first time.15 months later, ‘Bones’ returned and was scheduled to rematch Cormier for the undisputed title after ‘DC’ won the vacant strap in his absence.
Despite that, Cormier withdrew from the fight due to a leg injury, leaving Jones to fight Saint Preux for the interim 205lb title.Having run through everyone up until this point, Jones was expected to make relatively easy work of ‘OSP’.Early in the fight, ‘Bones’ showcased his spectacular striking arsenal, landing several big spinning back kicks to the ribs of Saint Preux.
Jones’ dismantling of Saint Preux continued throughout the second and third rounds as he continued to show a clear discrepancy between their striking skills.The championship rounds played out much the same way as Jones mixed up his attacks by utilising his wrestling, sailing to a unanimous decision win.After the result was read out and UFC boss Dana White presented Jones with the interim title, he handed it back and stated that he didn’t want the belt.
“Thank you so much, hey, I don’t think I want that belt, it’s not the real belt, I want my actual belt back,” Jones told Joe Rogan during the post-fight interview.Jones went on to reclaim the undisputed title over 15 months laterA few months after his interim title win over Saint Preux, the promotion booked the Jones vs Cormier rematch, however, a failed drug test on the side of Jones caused even further delay.15 months later, Jones finally returned again and he and Cormier finally stepped into the Octagon again.
‘Bones’ scored an incredible third-round knockout over Cormier, however, the fight was overturned after another failed drug test from Jones..
