UFC 197 Jones vs Saint Preux Betting Breakdown

Posted by Eric Williams on Thursday,April 21, 2016 5:44, EDT in

No Daniel Cormier, no problem! That’s the mindset of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones as he gets set to square off against Ovince St. Preux in their UFC 197 main card bout on Saturday. You see, due to a recent injury suffered by longtime Jones rival Daniel Cormier, their expected UFC odds showdown was scratched and St. Preux has now been offered up as sacrificial bait for Jones. Let’s find out why Jones’ return bout to the UFC looks like a cakewalk win for the former title holder.

UFC 197 Jones vs Saint Preux Betting Breakdown

Light Heavyweight Championship Odds Preview

  • Jon Jones: -550
  • Ovince Saint Preux: +425

Analysis: Jon Jones hasn’t been in the octagon in over a year, but I don’t think it’s going to matter very much, even though Ovince Saint Perux is a talented fighter – and powerful – puncher. Unfortunately for Perux, Jones is one of the world’s most elite athletes. Combine that with the fact that right now, he’s extremely focused on getting back to being the best in the business, and things look a bit bleak for Perux in my opinion. Outside of raw punching power, which he also possesses, Jones holds the edge in every mixed martial arts category.

Jones has an incredibly long reach that surpasses Perux’s 80-inch reach by four and a half inches. Not only that, but the well-rounded Jones features of variety of unusual striking techniques from spinning elbows to flying knees and spinning back kicks. Jones is also superior to every other fighter he’s faced in grappling and on the ground, so really, there’s no way that Ovince Saint Perux can win this bout unless he’s gets lucky and catches Jones with a vicious shot.

With Jones being as focused as he ever has been in his career, following some widely publicized run-ins with the law, I don’t see him getting lackadaisical at any point in this bout. Saint Perux has won three of his last four bots and possesses one of the most powerful left hands on the planet. However, Perux isn’t very fast with his hands nor does he have much stamina as evidenced by the fact that he has only been in one five-round fight in his career (a decision loss against Ryan Bader).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Not only is Jon ‘Bones’ Jones arguably the best MMA Fighter of all-time but he’s also one of my top 10 athletes in the world today! A hungry Jones wins via third round TKO that comes via elbows and knees

The Pick: Jon Jones via third round TKO