Sunday 24 April 2016 10:52, UK
Jon Jones made a winning return to the UFC as he pounded out a unanimous decision win over Ovince Saint Preux.
'Bones' Jones showed a few signs of rust in his first appearance in 15 months at UFC 197, but still swept the judges' cards with scores of 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45 to claim the interim light-heavyweight belt.
The 28-year-old New York fighter, who has suffered just one defeat by disqualification, had been stripped of the full title.
Saint Preux only landed 58 strikes in comparison to 131 for Jones, who landed a crisp spinning kick in the second round, while the Tennessee man was taking a string of elbows in the fourth when the bell halted the onslaught.
Despite his wide points win, Jones felt he produced a tentative performance after a long lay-off.
"I was watching, imagining, anticipating techniques - knowing when techniques would have landed, but just not going for it," he told ESPN.
But rival Daniel Cormier, who was working as a TV analyst, gave Jones more credit for his convincing victory.
He said: "Even when you're not feeling your best, most guys can't win a fight 50-44.
"Jon still won 50-44 even though he did not have his best performance. I was impressed with him in that sense."
