[ dramatic music ]
Mike Goldberg:
Male Sportscaster:
the UFC has stripped Jon Jones of his light heavyweight title
and suspended him indefinitely.
Female Sportscaster:
in a three-car accident injuring a woman.
He fled the scene.
Jones:
a lot of kids around the world down.
I've changed and I'm a better person.
I stand here, five months sober, feeling amazing. Thank you.
I have to redeem myself.
And the only way to make it right, in my opinion,
is to be a better example of what it means to be a champion.
And get this belt back.
Mike:
I think the big question is going to be,
"Is he mentally ready to compete at this level
after the journey that he's been through?"
Jones:
I'm living the way that I had always
seen myself being capable of.
And it feels tremendous, and I think it's really going to
translate into more dominating performances, longer career.
You know, potential is the biggest thing to waste.
Hill: Physically we see him and he looks amazing.
I've heard a lot of my opponents in the past say things like,
"I felt like I was fighting a bear in there.
I didn't realize how strong he was."
-Joe Rogan:
Cormier just taken down for the first time
in his MMA career.
Jones:
this new level of strength is ridiculous.
[shouts of encouragement]
Jones:
in Light Heavyweight history,
because I never had a jiu-jitsu coach.
And now I have these jiu-jitsu coaches,
and I'm really excited to see where that takes my game.
-Joe:
Kenny: Jon Jones never lost his belt in the Octagon.
No one ever beat him for that belt.
Bruce: And... still!
The undisputed UFC
Light Heavyweight champion of the world!
Kenny: Jon Jones was supposed to fight Daniel Cormier
for his belt at 205 pounds,
Daniel Cormier got injured and now,
Jon Jones will be facing Ovince Saint Preux
for the interim Light Heavyweight title.
You know, I talked to my coaches about it and they say,
"It's not the smartest thing to do...
to take a last minute fight."
But, they said, "Do you believe you're the best in the world?"
I said, "I do."
They said, "Well, go out there and prove it."
-Mike:
What a spectacular, flawless performance
against one of the most dangerous guys in the division.
Mike:
-Joe:
finishes Patrick Cummins!
Saint Preux: You know, April 23rd is gonna be unreal.
Everybody is gonna have their eye on me.
Announcer:
Saint Preux:
being the underdog, and I'm like,
"I've been there done that before."
So... There's no way you can break me.
My parents were born and raised in Haiti,
came to the States because they wanted
a better situation for their kids.
I got something that's instilled in me.
This is in my DNA. This is how I feel about everything.
Prove everybody effin' wrong.
Mike:
-It is all over!
Mike:
Kenny: When you look at the 205-pound division,
if there's one guy out there who can compete with that
same athleticism that Jon Jones brings into the Octagon,
it's Ovince Saint Preux.
Commentator:
Kenny:
Division I football player in college.
He is very powerful. He is very fast.
He's also a very tricky southpaw as well.
Commentator:
And another one!
Kenny:
that could give Jon Jones a lot of problems.
He's very unpredictable.
You know, him being a little bit of a rookie,
and kind of green in a lot of positions
is what makes him dangerous, you know.
He'll just try anything,
there's really no set patterns to his attacks.
[grunting]
Saint Preux:
Now is the time for me to actually
put everything in full effect.
Joe:
That's it! That's it!
-Joe:
Eric Turner:
And that's not to say that he's easy,
that's to say I believe in Vince very much.
This is what you want, right? This is the championship!
This is what we're aiming for.
Vince can knock anybody out.
He's broken two arms with kicks.
He's a killer. He'll knock your face off.
So, with DC I think he could take a few more punches.
If he takes a punch from Vince, he'll go to sleep
-and look up at the lights
Look, man, pretty much every scenario
that I've been through in my head,
at the end of the fight, I'm getting my hand raised.
[indistinct]
A long time ago, my dad told me, "Never fear no man."
And that's me, I'll never fear no man.
I don't care if you're Goliath, you seen what happened to him.
Jon:
Not even sure where he is!
A quick knockout for Ovince Saint Preux.
It only takes one stone.
Jones:
to legitimizing my feelings as being the actual champion.
But, my reason for winning this fight
is so much bigger than the title.
I'm really fighting my legacy, and I have to redeem myself.
Joe:
in the world!
Henry Cejudo:
I left home. I left my family, left my friends,
left everything behind to chase a dream...
and on August 19th of 2008, exactly four years later,
Henry Cejudo became the best in the world.
I won the Olympics. I accomplished my dream.
Every opponent that I saw, every opponent that I faced
was a stumbling block to my path to becoming the best,
and that's the way I see Demetrious Johnson.
He's in front of me.
He has something that I believe I should have,
and I'm here to dethrone him.
I'll give you praise.
Congratulations, you're an Olympic gold medalist.
I'm looking forward to fighting you April 23rd.
I don't think he's ever fought an opponent
that's gonna bring it like I'm gonna bring it.
Mike:
of Cejudo's young mixed martial arts career.
May the best man win.
-Joe:
Rocked him, and it is all over!
-Joe:
remains the UFC Flyweight Champion.
Joe:
Johnson:
you know, right now, I just haven't came up
against that big fish.
When Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson defended his title
against John Dodson, you saw perfection.
He just showed his amazing technique,
his amazing mixed martial arts IQ,
his fight knowledge, and his ability
to be completely unpredictable and absolutely control
the rhythm of the fight.
Johnson: We don't have game plans.
We go out there, and we just fight,
and I'm able to pick up on their bad habits
and their tendencies to be able to put them away.
Mike:
-Joe:
[crowd cheers]
-Joe:
When Demetrious Johnson defends his World Flyweight Title
against Henry Cejudo, we are seeing
the pound-for-pound best fighter
in the world today, in Demetrious Johnson,
against perhaps the most significant threat
he has ever faced inside the Octagon.
A true Olympic gold medalist in wrestling,
who has some absolutely sensational striking technique.
-Joe:
Joe:
and good luck taking that guy down.
Good luck.
You're talking about a guy who is the elite of the elite
when it comes to wrestling.
Once you've wrestled, everything in life is easy
because you come from the toughest sport.
I mean, you go up against a guy with a high MMA IQ
or reaction Q, like myself, it changes the game.
Joe:
It's probably water and oil, this fight.
To me, it's about simplicity,
and I think for him, it's more about creativity.
If Henry Cejudo could turn this into a wrestling match,
he should have, at least on paper,
a significant advantage in that department.
If he can do that, it is possible
that we could see a new champion.
Cejudo:
it's like, "Train, man."
And I hope he has his best camp ever.
So, there's no excuses.
Really?
Like, name one [bleep] excuse I've ever made
in my whole entire life. The champ doesn't make excuses.
Cejudo:
As a competitor, I want to challenge myself.
I want to see how far I could take it.
Johnson:
that Henry Cejudo is gonna be more prepared for this fight
than he was for the USA Olympics, which is fine.
I want that. I am a date kind of guy.
You tell me what date that Demetrious Johnson
needs to be at his best.
We'll go in there, and we'll handle business.
I'm an Olympic-caliber athlete.
This is guy who's a better wrestler,
this is a guy who hits harder.
Johnson:
Good for you. Kudos.
And we'll fight, and then if I blow you out the water,
then I'm gonna go home, [laughs]
relax, and get ready for the next one.
Cejudo:
I'm fighting the pound-for-pound king... supposedly.
But I know if Henry Cejudo does his best,
I don't think there's a man on the planet
at 125 lbs that could beat me.
Johnson:
I have my kickboxing, my Muay Thai.
I can do it all. I love to fight.
I love to compete. I am motivated to win.
I will become the best in the world.
There's no ifs or whats about it.
I will do it.
"And new..."