Sixteen wins and one loss.
Some would point towards that blemish on Jon’s record and say that it’s the only negative about his career.
But can a negative be a positive?
By now it’s common knowledge how Jon Jones has the single loss on his record. After dominating Matt Hamill, “Bones” decided to use multiple 12-6 elbows to a downed opponent, which is illegal per the unified rules of MMA.
What most people don’t know is that Jones was just docked a point and the match was to continue, but Hamill couldn’t continue due to a dislocated shoulder. A dislocated shoulder that had nothing to do with the downward elbows that got him docked a point.
So with Hamill unable to continue on, Jones was disqualified for the use of 12-6 elbows.
However, that loss became a very good gain.
By “losing” that matchup, the pressure and stigma of having to protect his undefeated streak was gone. The dominant light heavyweight prospect who’s now one of the top fighters in the world doesn’t have to face the pressure with having a goose egg in the loss column. Because of that, he’s able to fight more loose and free and as a result is a better fighter.
It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened to a fighter.
On December 22, 2000, undefeated Fedor Emelianenko faced off against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in the second round of Rings King of Kings tournament. Seventeen seconds into the fight, Fedor slipped a punch and Kohsaka’s elbow caused a cut above Fedor’s right eye. The referee had a doctor look at it and decided that the fight couldn’t be continued.
What’s interesting is that elbow strikes were illegal, but since it was decided that Fedor couldn’t continue, Kohsaka was awarded the victory.
Fedor not only avenged this very controversial loss, but he didn’t lose any of his next 28 fights over the next 10 years.
Which brings us back to Jones. By having this “loss” on his record, all pressure of being an undefeated fighter is off of his shoulders. This is important because as a fighter the less things that cloud your mind, the more focused you can be on the task at hand, which is winning fights. Worrying about protecting your record can be very taxing, especially in today’s media environment.
Maybe Jones won’t have a 10-year undefeated streak like Fedor, but there’s no doubt that having the Hamill loss on his resume has taken off much of the pressure that he would be otherwise be facing.
I guess a negative can be a positive.
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