Who were the winners at UFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux? Click below to get the results for all the fights at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 23, 2016.
Jones vs Saint Preux | Johnson vs Cejudo | Pettis vs Barboza | Whittaker vs Natal | Rodriguez vs Fili | Pettis vs Kelades | Roberts vs Steele | Esparza vs Lima | Franca vs Vick | Harris vs East | Rogerio de Lima vs Hester | Escudero vs Lee
More from UFC 197: UFC 197 results | UFC 197 postfight bonus recap | Dana White has final say on UFC 197 | Jon Jones wins in return, claims interim title | Watch: Champion Cormier reacts to Jones win | Mighty Mouse defends his crown | Pettis, Roberts, Esparza go distance for wins | Harris defeats East in explosive FIGHT PASS battle | Watch the UFC 197 FIGHT PASS prelims on-demand | Backstage interviews: Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Edson Barboza, Robert Whittaker, Yair Rodriguez, Sergio Pettis | Octagon interviews: Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Walt Harris | Best images from UFC 197 | Order UFC 197 replay
UFC 197: Jones vs. Saint Preux main card
Order the replay and watch all the fights on-demand at UFC.tv
Interim UFC light heavyweight five-round title fight: Jon Jones defeats Ovince Saint Preux
It may not be how he drew it up with his all-star team in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but pound-for-pound No. 1 Jon Jones controlled Ovince Saint Preux for five rounds and seemingly did whatever he wanted to earn the unanimous decision win (50-44, 50-45, 50-45). The final numbers for significant strikes has Jones up 127-56, landing a staggering 76 percent to OSP’s 35 percent. OSP looked uncomfortable with the style of Jones, who gives most of his opponents fits once the doors close. OSP took the fight on only 3 weeks-notice, and Jones said he was glad to have a fight back to work out some ring rust. Jones wins his 13th consecutive UFC fight, which is second best all time behind Anderson Silva’s record of 16.
Flyweight five-round title fight: Demetrious Johnson defends his title against Henry Cejudo
Demetrious Johnson made quick work of No. 1 contender Henry Cejudo, finishing him by TKO at 2:49 of the first round. Johnson told Joe Rogan that he has a dangerous clinch, and he couldn’t be more on point. He landed the beginning of the end blow with a knee from the clinch that stumbled Cejudo. Then Mighty Mouse hit a left hook and a knee to the chest as Cejudo fell to the mat. Johnson pounced and forced “Big” John McCarthy to step in and stop the fight moments later. That makes eight straight flyweight title defenses for Johnson, who adds to his legendary resume.
They said it:
Demetrious Johnson: “There is no game plan I just come in here and fight. Once I got him off balance I hit him with a knee to the liver and I knew it was over. I’m the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and I will continue to show it.”
Lightweight fight: Edson Barboza defeats Anthony Pettis
Edson Barboza went kick for kick with the former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and won on all three judges’ scorecards (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). Barboza out-struck Pettis and more than doubled him up in significant strikes, 77-35. Pettis has now lost three straight fights which started in a loss to Rafael Dos Anjos, which cost Showtime the lightweight title.
They said it:
Edson Barboza: “I’m very happy. I worked very hard for this fight and I did my best for the win. I think sometimes my coaches believe in me more than I do, but now I believe in my abilities out there. Whatever the UFC wants I’m ready and I’m 100-percent sure I will be better next time.”
Anthony Pettis: “It wasn’t that I was worried about his different kicks, it was more that he was a hard guy to land on. We got into more of a hand fight, and when I was in there I felt comfortable. This is all that I know so this is tough.”
Middleweight fight: Robert Whittaker defeats Rafael Natal
Collecting his fourth straight win since moving up to the middleweight division, Robert Whittaker solidified his contender status with an astounding performance, shutting down Rafael Natal for three rounds to win by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). Whittaker bludgeoned Natal, who is one of the toughest men in the division. Whittaker landed 52 percent of his significant strikes thrown for a total of 88 against Natal.
They said it:
Robert Whittaker: “I was looking for the finish the whole time, but he is a very tough guy. I think he knew I wasn’t going to let him take me down, so he had to stand with me. I broke my hand early, my leg is a bit sore too, I should’ve checked some of those kicks, but I got the win so it’s all good. The plan is to continue going up the ranks. Myself and my coaching staff don’t see a ceiling, I am just going to continue getting better.”
Featherweight fight: Yair Rodriguez defeats Andre Fili
Yair Rodriguez has some of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping kicks in the UFC and he delivered one right on the button against Andre Fili, Ko’ing the Team Alpha Male product stiff with a roundhouse kick to the head at 2:15 of the second round. Rodriguez threw a few big kicks that just missed in the early minutes of the fight, but the one that landed was perfect and an early candidate for KO of the Year.
They said it:
Yair Rodriguez: “This win is all about hard work, dedication and sacrifice. I train hard every day and I have a great team behind me. I knew Andre was aggressive and I was ready for him. I knew that when he was moving back, after I closed his eye with a punch, that I had him in a bad position. I will wait and see what Dana and Sean Shelby have for me. I’ll take on whatever is next.”
UFC 197: Jones vs. Saint Preux FS1 prelims
Flyweight fight: Sergio Pettis defeats Chris Kelades
Sergio Pettis showed off all the improvements to his game that he’s been working on with wrestling coach Izzy Martinez, dominating the grappling exchanges and doing enough on his feet to earn unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Pettis landed six more significant strikes and did more with his two takedowns than Chris Kelades was able to do with his two takedown in the bout.
They said it:
Sergio Pettis: “I want to push myself more, I put pressure on myself because I know I’m capable of finishing guys with submissions and knockouts. It’s just about growing as a martial artist for me. I have to keep going and get back in the gym and get past this phase of decisions to set my sights on the number one spot.”
Chris Kelades: “In the first round I was trying to figure out his movement and take it in stride. He used a lot of movement to keep me off and made me unable to land really anything significant.”
Welterweight fight: Danny Roberts defeats Dominique Steele
Dominique Steele came out fast and looked to implement his game plan, which worked for a round. But in the end Danny Roberts was able to do enough on his feet and stuff enough takedowns to earn the unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
They said it:
Dominique Steele: “It was all my fault, I didn’t do what I needed to do to win. The slams in the first round didn’t take away any of my energy, it’s just all on me, I didn’t do what I needed to do.”
Strawweight fight: Carla Esparza defeats Juliana Lima
Carla Esparza picked up the unanimous decision win (30-27x3) as she dominated the grappling exchanges and landed takedown after takedown in 15 minutes to earn the win.
They said it:
Carla Esparza: “It feels good to get back in the win column and to get that fight out of the way, I was so stressed this week. I guess the game plan was to feel her out and see what she was going to do. I’ve watched a lot of tape on her and I’ve seen her take a lot of people down, but I’ve also seen her throw a lot of kicks, so I really didn’t know what to expect, she’s a little different every fight. I really wanted to fight on that Los Angeles card, but this opportunity came up and I had to jump on it. I want to stay busy and get back in the gym as soon as I can; I don’t care who’s next.”
Lightweight fight: James Vick defeats Glaico Franca 
When the fight was standing James Vick was in control, landing 128-69 in total strikes and 90-47 in significant strikes. He was taken down four times by Glaico Franca but the Brazilian wasn’t able to do much with the advantage on the ground. Vick won by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
They said it:
James Vick: “Franca was able to take me down in the first and I think he landed another one in the second, but that was my fault. I was trying to do too much with my wrestling and I’ve never really fought anyone who could take me down like that. In my mind, the only reason I’m not in the top-10 or 15 is due to inactivity. This was only my fifth fight in the UFC due to injury, so I think that’s what’s holding me down. Next, I’d like a rematch with Michael Chiesa, who is the only guy to beat me so far. Technically I’m still undefeated, but he beat me in the house on The Ultimate Fighter, so I’d like to avenge that loss.”
UFC 197: Jones vs. Saint Preux FIGHT PASS prelims
Heavyweight fight: Walt Harris defeats Cody East
Cody East was impressive on his closeup during the latest episode of “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.” He impressed in the main event of the UFC FIGHT PASS prelims until Walt Harris landed a huge left hand that dropped the heavyweight prospect where he stood. Harris jumped on East and landed ground-and-pound until the referee was forced to stop the fight at 4:18 of the first round.
They said it:
Walt Harris: “I think I broke my hand, but pain is temporary and joy is forever. We worked on that left in training. I slipped out to my right and threw my left down the pipe. I know from my first fights in UFC I didn’t go for the finish and I knew this time if I got him there I would keep working until the ref stopped me. The layoff helped me because it allowed me to reflect on my first time in UFC and get stronger mentally for this fight.”
Light heavyweight fight: Marcos Rogerio de Lima defeats Clint Hester
Clint Hester attempted an overhand right early in the fight and missed, and Marcos Rogerio De Lima responded with a right of his own that crumbled Hester. That was the beginning of the end as De Lima landed countless punches from top position before submitting Hester with an arm triangle to end the fight at 4:35 of Round 1.
They said it:
Marcos Rogerio de Lima: “I felt he was feeling my leg kicks and when I knocked him down, I continued to pour it on. I was punishing him on the ground and I could see the submission there, but I had to be patient. Whoever comes my way next, I will be ready.”
Lightweight fight: Kevin Lee defeats Efrain Escudero
Kevin Lee was out-struck by Efrain Escudero after three rounds, but a dominant third round performance was enough to earn the judges’ decision in unanimous fashion (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Lee landed a pair of takedowns in the fight and threatened to finish the fight with a guillotine choke in the final round. The win was a big one for Lee, who was KO’ed in his last outing.
They said it:
Kevin Lee: “The thing for me was getting the win. In the third, when I had him hurt, it was all about getting the ‘w’ and keeping him down. I felt I won the first pretty decisively and I switched gears between rounds. I feel like I can use my wrestling like I did in the third round against anyone. I’m looking to get on UFC 200, put me against Sage (Northcutt), let’s not wait around to do this.”
Efrain Escudero: “Everyone thought I won that fight, even the doctor thought I won. I don’t know what else I could have done or what the judges were thinking. We let our hands go, we wrestled, I held him up against the cage. He took me down in the third, but that wasn’t enough to make the difference. Only thing I can do from here is to get back in the gym and get right back to it.”
