On Saturday night, Jon Jones used UFC 182 to stake a claim that he may be one of the best athletes to ever compete in mixed martial arts. He took a victory over Daniel Cormier in the main event, as the judges awarded him four of the five rounds.
One of the interesting talking points coming out of the bout was Jones’ own words where he labeled himself “classless” during the post-fight interview. However, after looking at his place in the sport, the perception of the fans and its impact on his career, Jones should not apologize for his actions in any form.
Immediately after the final buzzer at UFC 182, Jones made a derogatory hand gesture toward Cormier that earned the boos of the fans watching.
“I’m sorry for being classless,” Jones said to Joe Rogan during the post-fight interview. “I do not like DC, that is why I’m being this way.”
It looked as though the bad blood between Jones and Cormier was going to continue after the bell, as both men looked like they were going to throw punches after the last round, which led to Jones making the motion.
“After the bell rang, he snuck in a few punches.” Jones mentioned during the post-fight press conference, courtesy of MMA Fighting. “I don’t think any of them hit me. I think he almost hit Herb Dean. That’s why I gave him the ‘suck it’ sign, because he tried to hit me after the bell.”
This situation will not help Jones’ perception with the fans. He has long been the topic of fan hatred since winning the belt back in 2011. Everything from his legal issues to his usage of social media and frequent religious quoting has earned the ire of MMA fans. He should expect to receive more angry tweets after his antics on Saturday.
Nevertheless, he should not apologize for his actions on Saturday.
Mixed martial arts has had its fair share of contrived rivalries between top athletes. After weeks to months of promotion, fighters will often leave their differences in the cage and get over their anger toward each other. The feud between Jones and Rashad Evans stands as an example in which both men seemed to hate each other before the fight but have gotten over their animosity.
Jones confirmed as much during an interview with Ariel Helwani on Fox Sports. “I saw Rashad, and I honestly missed him. It was weird. I just missed him. The guy was definitely like a role model in a way when I first started off, and I’ll always remember looking up to him. Even though we fought, it is so long in the past now, and I legitimately missed him.”
Do not expect Jones to make such a statement about Daniel Cormier, and that will benefit Jones’ career in the long run. The rivalry between Cormier and Jones had years of buildup and multiple instances of outright disrespect by both men. When emotions get to such a point, it is difficult to turn those feelings off, even after the battle being finished.
Jones’ worth to the organization has the potential to flourish by his playing up those emotions and the anger that comes from the fans for his success.
He has not always been a major pay-per-view draw, but UFC 182 is being perceived as a success for the promotion. Before the event, UFC President Dana White predicted the show would hit 750,000 buys, via MMA Fighting. Yet, during the post-fight press conference, he said the fight did “more than 750 buys” when asked about buyrate expectations, per MMA Fighting.
This may mean that a hated Jones against a well-liked foil will mean bigger paydays for the champion and promotion as a whole. Alexander Gustafsson stands as a potential fighter who would play that role well if he can get by Anthony Johnson, which would set up a rematch to their 2013 spectacle.
Gustafsson is a fan favorite, and if Jones continues down this path of being hated by the fans, the promotion of this bout could lead to similar, big-night events for the UFC. That result would benefit both the promotion and the fighter.
The first fight between Jones and Gustafsson was already enough to make a potential rematch worth watching. Building Jon up as the willing villain with Gustafsson as the opposing hero would add even more strength to the pre-fight hype.
Jones did not win over any fans in MMA with his performance against Cormier. He is at a “point of no return” when it comes to being considered a heel within the sport. He should not apologize for being himself and embrace this position for the long term.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com