St. Preux steps in for injured Cormier to fight Jones at UFC 197
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Jon Jones will remain on the UFC 197 card after all.
Jones will fight Ovince St. Preux for the interim title on April 23 at MGM Grand, UFC president Dana White announced Saturday night on ESPN.
The card was to be headlined by a championship bout between Jones and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, but Cormier was forced to pull out of the bout Friday due to a leg injury.
Jones posted a video on social media saying he was ready to fight and would welcome any challenge in either the light heavyweight or heavyweight division.
He has not competed since a unanimous decision victory over Cormier in January 2015. Jones had his title stripped after he was arrested on charges of a hit-and-run last April. He eventually pled guilty and avoided jail time.
At the time of his arrest, Jones was preparing to defend the belt against Anthony Johnson. Instead, Cormier defeated Johnson for the vacant belt and has held the title ever since.
Jones has not lost since a controversial disqualification resulted in the only defeat of his career in 2009. He had successfully defended the belt eight straight times.
St. Preux, a former Tennessee football player, has won three of his last four fights. He is coming off a win over Rafael Cavalcante in February. His brother Renan played wide receiver at UNLV.
UFC 197 also features a flyweight title bout between Henry Cejudo and champion Demetrious Johnson.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj
