By Hunter Homistek

An opportunity passed Daniel Cormier by at UFC 197. 

He knew it. You could see it in his face. You heard it in his post-fight comments.  Jon Jones did not look like the Jon Jones of old in the night's main event, and Cormier's best chance at defeating his most hated rival drifted away. 

Originally, of course, it was Cormier's opportunity for the taking. The UFC light heavyweight champ was scheduled to meet Jones in a rematch of their UFC 182 showdown at UFC 197 before an injury forced him out. Ovince Saint Preux filled in, and Jones eventually secured a unanimous decision victory.

That's the short version. It's everything that happened between Saint Preux filling in and Jones securing the victory that fattens the narrative. 

In the fight itself, we caught glimpses of Jones, the 21-1 juggernaut who wrecked the 205-pound division from August 2008 to January 2015. Yes, we saw shades of the youngest UFC champion of all-time, destroyer of legends such as Lyoto Machida, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and more.

That's the Jones we remembered. That's the Jones we expected.  

In reality, the Jones who showed up against St-Preux looked only above average. The pure brutality and creative genius we've come to expect was missing. Jones scored no knockdowns. His takedowns were nonexistent until Round 4. Saint Preux clipped him with punches throughout. 

Jones cruised to a victory with ease despite it all. He didn't lose a round or even come close to doing so. In the post-fight interview inside the Octagon, Jones said he showed about 20 percent of his arsenal in the fight. Looking at history, it is easy to believe him. 

To his credit, Saint Preux stepped into this bout on short-notice. He handled the significant media obligations and fought on the biggest stage of his life against arguably the best fighter of all time for five full rounds. That is an accomplishment to be proud of. 

But it's impossible to ignore that nagging voice as you watched Jones. "Finish him, already," it urged. You got the feeling that circa-UFC-140 Jones smashes Saint Preux with ease. If Ryan Bader can smother Saint Preux and if Glover Teixeira can submit Saint Preux, surely Jones can do something even worse. Right? But reality doesn't work that way. Jones thoroughly dismantled both Bader and Teixeira, but that indicates nothing regarding Jones vs. Saint Preux. 

The reality of the situation is that Jones, for the vast majority of his 15-month absence, focused on a rematch with Cormier. That's what everybody expected. Jones and his team at Jackson/Winklejohn MMA are lauded for their strategies and for their tailor-made game plans, and Jones himself said post-UFC 197 that his true genius comes largely from watching and obsessing over film.

His studies, he says, dictate his performances. In cramming for a midterm against Saint Preux, the results were less than stellar. He passed. But only just.

The context here is what makes the upcoming rematch between Cormier and Jones so interesting.

Did Jones show a legitimate decline, or is ring rust real?

Did he need more time to prepare? Given a full camp dedicated to Saint Preux, would Jones have secured a finish? We'll probably never know. 

What we will know within the year, however, is how Jones performs in a rematch against one of his toughest tests to date. If his brilliance materializes in study, surely he'll ace a test he's already taken once. Jones has rematched no one in his 23-fight professional career, so it will be interesting to see what he can take away from his first performance opposite Cormier and apply to the second. 

Right now, there's still a chance Cormier vs. Jones II goes down July 9 at UFC 200. Should Cormier receive medical clearance on Monday, he will begin training, and we will have our rematch in just a few months. Which is fantastic, because the Jones who showed up at UFC 197 left us wanting a little more. 

We're greedy, us MMA fans. A 50 – 45 unanimous decision over Saint Preux just isn't going to satisfy. Not after what we've seen in the past. 

Cormier's seen the same things. He's felt them firsthand. He knows just how great Jones can be. Even while loathing the ground the man walks on, he can't help but acknowledge that, as a fighter, Jones is a class above everyone else. At UFC 197, though, Cormier saw openings and flaws. He saw uncharacteristic lethargy and hesitance. He saw a chance to put the first true loss on Jones' record.

Whether he can chase it down and recapture it, then, becomes one of the biggest storylines of 2016. We'll know soon enough.