Despite being the most hated man in MMA, Jon Jones is still able to walk with his head held high and an ear-to-ear grin.
The UFC light heavyweight champion has taken the brunt of the blame for the cancellation of the UFC 151 fight card, which left 20 other fighters out of work.
After Dan Henderson pulled out of the main event with a knee injury, Chael Sonnen offered to step up as a late replacement, but Jones opted not to take a fight against a new opponent on short notice.
The decision subsequently led to the entire fight card being cancelled.
During a media conference call for the event, UFC president Dana White called it a “selfish” and “disgusting” decision.
However, despite the fact the MMA world is in uproar, Jones doesn’t appear rattled at all.
The general consensus in sports is that every athlete wants to be loved, but experienced athletes learn that fans change like the seasons.
People will place you on a pedestal one day, and tear you back down the next.
In a post on Twitter, Jones responded to a question asking whether or not he felt he was the most hated UFC champ in history.
“I’m not here to be loved, I’m here to dominate,” said the 25-year-old champ.
Some will take Jones’ words as confirmation of his selfish ambitions, others will respect his honesty.
The path of a villain is a lonely one in combat sports, and Jones may have reached a point of no return.
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