UFC 197: Jones vs. Saint Preux post-fight analysis – Fights to make

UFC 197 was a crazy night of fights and finishes. The pay-per-view event featured the two top pound-for-pound fighters, newly crowned interim light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson, who were both successful against opponents Ovince Saint Preux and Henry Cejudo, respectively. We saw new contenders emerge, including Edson Barboza and Robert Whittaker, and, as per usual, there was your fair share of controversy, as well.

UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby took a sick day so I’m stepping up as UFC 197 post-fight matchmaker. I’m probably better than them, anyways.

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Jon Jones: It’s essentially confirmed that Jones will rematch Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 to unify the two championships. If Cormier passes an MRI early next week and both appear to be healthy, UFC president Dana White said that Cormier vs. Jones II will serve as the landmark event’s main event. Even if Jones didn’t hold the interim title now, there’s nothing else that makes sense. He never lost his belt inside the cage and ultimately deserved a title shot in his return fight. He was scheduled to fight DC, of course, at UFC 197 but the champ was forced out with an injury. Unless Cormier suffers another injury and will be out for a long time, Jones’ next fight will be a title unification bout with Cormier.

Ovince Saint Preux: After falling to Jones, OSP is in a strange position in the light heavyweight division. The division badly needs new contenders and many believed Saint Preux could be that guy before falling to the likes of Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader, and now Jones. Another fighter around the same level of Saint Preux is Jimi Manuwa, who’s coming off a knockout loss to Anthony Johnson last September. Pair Saint Preux and Manuwa together and see who should continue moving forward in the division, and who needs yet another step back in competition. Plus, it’s a fun matchup. You can’t go wrong with it.

Demetrious Johnson: If I’ve ever seen a cleaned out division, it’s the UFC flyweight division. The highest ranked fighter who is coming off a win and has never fought Mighty Mouse is Wilson Reis at No. 9. I don’t believe he deserves a shot, although with Chris Cariaso earning a title shot in 2014, anything is possible. More than likely, top contender Joseph Benavidez, who’s currently on a five-fight winning streak, gets a third crack at Johnson. It’s not a super intriguing matchup as Johnson already has two wins over The Beefcake, but he’s arguably the most deserving flyweight of a title shot right now. The UFC could continue on with their plans for the winner of TUF 24 getting the title shot, but I think the outrage towards that has got the UFC possibly thinking and ultimately scrapping those plans. A return to bantamweight would be ideal — a super-fight with Dominick Cruz is something I’d be down for. I don’t think Johnson wants that, unless a huge wad of cash is on the table. Why risk losing to a bigger fighter when you can continue racking up paychecks by relatively easy flyweight title defenses? You can’t blame Mighty Mouse.

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