The relationship between Jon Jones and UFC President Dana White may be irreparable after strong comments made during last week’s UFC 151 media conference call.
White announced the cancellation of the UFC 151 event after Jones refused to step up and fight Chael Sonnen on short notice.
Jones was initially slated to fight Dan Henderson, but a knee injury sustained during training forced the 41-year-old legend to withdraw from the bout.
According to White, Sonnen agreed to step in as a late replacement, but Jones’ camp turned down the fight. White labeled Jones’ decision as “selfish” and “disgusting.”
In only a few days, the young light heavyweight champ has become the most hated man in MMA history.
Bleacher Report’s Matthew Roth was on-hand at the conference call to get White’s reaction to Jones turning down the fight with Sonnen.
“This is one of the selfish disgusting decisions. It doesn’t just affect Jon Jones. I don’t think this is going to be a decision that makes people like Jon Jones.
Being a fight promoter, you can’t make someone fight. I can’t say “you have to fight this Saturday.” You’re either a fighter or you’re not. This is what we all do for a living. I have a building where 250 people have been busting their ass to promote this card. Good for you Jon Jones that you don’t need this fight. There’s a bunch of guys on the undercard who need this fight to feed their families. I can’t make him take the fight but he should.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Jones and his camp felt they needed ample time to prepare for a change of opponents, especially against an upper-echelon fighter like Sonnen.
Some view Jones’ decision as understandable. In MMA, a fighter is only as good as his or her last fight. A loss to Sonnen, a middleweight contender coming off a loss, would be devastating for Jones.
Fans love to talk up “being exciting” and putting on “entertaining fights,” but at the end of the day, a fighter’s success is determined by wins and losses. Jones’ ability to stay on top keeps blue collar sponsors like Nike around.
When asked if he was disappointed White threw him under the bus, Jones remained classy and chose not to stir up more drama.
“No, I just see clearer now,” Jones posted on Twitter.
The vast majority of fans have seemingly sided with White. They believe Jones had an obligation to the fans, his peers and the UFC to step up and take the fight against Sonnen.
With that said, it’s hard to believe one man is responsible for the cancellation of an entire fight card. There were plenty of contributing factors to the demise of UFC 151, including a massive injury bug that claimed Henderson and Josh Koscheck.
Jones’ next light heavyweight title defense has been rescheduled for UFC 152 on September 22, where he is slated to meet former UFC champion Vitor Belfort.
On Twitter, Jones appeared more excited about facing a former champion in Belfort over Sonnen.
“Another former world champion, now this is what I’m here for..”
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