Smartest Guy at the Bar: UFC 197 Edition

The first half of 2016 has thus far kept the Ultimate Fighting Championship in its backyard for nearly all of its major fights. UFC 197 on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will be the latest pay-per-view event to emanate from Sin City. As the UFC has evolved into a premium product that holds the fight capital’s attention, it has encountered any number of problems with the potential to ruin major bouts, from injuries and bad behavior to performance-enhancing drugs and old-fashioned delinquency. This is the world former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has helped fashion and one he hopes to leave behind at UFC 197.

HOW WE GOT HERE: One DUI-busted Bentley, one positive test for cocaine, one hit-and-run and one viral video in which he called a cop a “pig” later, Jones will compete without the UFC light heavyweight title around his waist for the first time in five years. The UFC stripped “Bones” of his championship following numerous transgressions. The 28-year-old turned to powerlifting while serving a suspension and trying to return to the Octagon, where, at 23, he had become the youngest champion in UFC history. Jones is a star almost unlike any other, his off-the-field self-sabotage rivaled only by his in-cage dominance. The last time Jones took center stage to display his brilliance, he foiled rival Daniel Cormier in January 2015 to defend the light heavyweight crown for a record eighth time. Before he could do so again, Jones’ world came crashing down. Cormier capitalized on the void that was left and bested Anthony Johnson to claim the vacant gold at 205 pounds. “Bones” stewed on Instagram and other social media platforms while waiting to be reinstated, and Cormier rather enjoyed flaunting the light heavyweight championship in Jones’ absence. Their rematch was one of the more anticipated fights of 2016, but a leg injury forced Cormier to withdraw from UFC 197. Jones, meanwhile, attempted to rebuild his broken image by showing a willingness to accept a short-notice replacement opponent; he had refused to do so at UFC 151, resulting in the cancellation of the entire event. Enter Ovince St. Preux, who will face Jones for the interim light heavyweight championship in Cormier’s stead.

ALL-AMERICAN TALE UNDERSOLD: The UFC’s flyweight division turns 4 later this year, and Demetrious Johnson has ruled over the weight class for its entire existence, with technical superiority and unparalleled speed. He will tie Jones’ for third on the all-time list for successful title defenses with eight if he can beat 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in the co-main event. Between Johnson’s accomplishments and Cejudo’s pedigree, this could serve as a pivotal opportunity for the UFC to elevate its flyweights. It has become clear that the organization struggles to sell pound-for-pound good guys like Johnson. While it may be true that the public takes more of an interest in the sport’s bad boys, not everyone can be Floyd Mayweather Jr. This is a flyweight fight that is years in the making, but, almost predictably, it is being treated like an afterthought. Maybe the UFC and MMA will always view the flyweights that way, but given boxing’s ability to sell fights at weights that low, perhaps there is hope. The public thirsts for dominant champions, yet Johnson remains stuck in the role of co-main event fodder or reluctant headliner on weak cards dinged by injuries. Following his most recent title defense in September, a performance which saw Johnson shut down John Dodson, “Mighty Mouse” turned up the volume on his personality: “Look at my face. I look prettier than a mother [expletive], and that’s what technique gets you right there.” Johnson and Cejudo need a monstrous push to do their talents justice. Johnson on the surface is a middle-class story, a well-spoken family man who transforms himself and fights like a blindingly fast video game character, complete with post-fight celebration. Cejudo is fluent in Spanish, a Mexican-American who beat abject poverty to become the youngest Olympic wrestling champion in United States history before positioning himself as an international star for the UFC. Each of them is vastly undersold here. No matter who leaves as champion, it will be a win-win for the UFC. If the promotion invested half the energy it gives to absent featherweight champion Conor McGregor on Johnson, it would be an entirely different story. Then again, that is true for just about everything.

TWO STEPS BACK, ONE FORWARD: Anthony Pettis finds himself one bad night against Edson Barboza away from losing three straight bouts. The former lightweight champion’s “Showtime” offense has not been on display in his last two outings. Rafael dos Anjos dismantled Pettis for 25 minutes to take his championship. Then former Bellator MMA titleholder Eddie Alvarez followed up by keeping him on the defensive for three rounds. Pettis seems to have been knocked down several notches on the list of contenders at 155 pounds. The Duke Roufus protégé submitted Benson Henderson with a first-round armbar to become champion in August 2013 and then defended the title by becoming the first man to ever finish Gilbert Melendez. Those short bouts totaled 11:24 and took place a year apart due to injury. The win over Melendez was followed by another 10 months of inactivity prior to Pettis’ losses against dos Anjos and Alvarez. Pettis is still only 29 years old, and the competitive nature of the lightweight division all but ensures there will be openings at the top, especially for a star like “Showtime.” However, his lack of consistent cage time remains a real concern. Barboza, 30, is coming off of a submission loss to Tony Ferguson but has never suffered back-to-back defeats. As Pettis discovered, that can change. Barboza has failed to secure a signature win in his five years inside the Octagon. Pettis would certainly fill the bill and bump the sharp-striking Brazilian to a new level.

AWARDS WATCH: “Fight of the Night” goes to Johnson and Cejudo, in 25 minutes or less. Jones and Pettis seem like obvious choices for “Performance of the Night” bonuses. However, look out for New Zealand’s Robert Whittaker, who meets Rafael Natal at 185 pounds, and Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili, who faces Yair Rodriguez at featherweight.