Being liked is no longer a priority for UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.
As children, we were all conditioned through bedtime stories and various forms of media to be heroes, to be the good guy. It is within human nature to yearn to be loved and adored. Nobody grows up wanting to be hated and treated like the bad guy, unless they were forced into that role.
The explosive feud between Jones and Daniel Cormier has put pen to paper in a way that has never been seen throughout the many storied rivalries in UFC history. There is a genuine disdain and dislike festering between two of MMA’s best athletes at the apex of their careers. But while Cormier is generally seen as the knight in shining armor, Jones is once again taking the villainous role of the dragon.
According to Jones, the UFC’s promotional effort deserves some of the blame for his inevitable heel turn. The vicious, off-air verbal exchange between Jones and Cormier released by ESPN SportsCenter a few months ago has received more commercial play than Geico’s “Hump Day” camel.
Initially, Jones was offended when the UFC opted to use the hot mic exchange to promote the upcoming UFC 182 title fight, but past experiences has taught the 27-year-old champ to expect the unexpected.
“Originally, I was offended, it was my first emotion,” Jones said during the UFC 182 media phone conference. “The reason I never tweeted or made a statement about it was because it’s just the UFC. I mean UFC 151 got canceled and instantly my image got ruined overnight. That taught me a lot about the UFC. So them using that to promote fights, it doesn’t surprise me. I’m just gonna go with it. It’s what I said, they’re my quotes and I’ll live with it.”
It’s a tough time to be hated.
In this generation, social media sites like Twitter and Instagram have become a breeding ground of negativity for athletes from every sport. Fans can literally hurl random insults at athletes from afar with a few keystrokes.
While Jones receives his fair share of praises and positive messages, there will always be fans who idle on his social media pages with the sole purpose of criticizing and insulting him. This reaction may have propelled a different response from Jones earlier in his career, but as with punches in a fight, he has steadily learned to roll with the insults and move on with his life.
“When I read my comments on Twitter and Instagram, I realize that I really do inspire people and touch people and people really do appreciate who I am as a martial artist,” Jones said. “Then when I look at some of the people who write me negative messages, it’s always so dumb. It’s like, ‘Dude you’re fake.’
“I’ve been hearing that I’m fake for so many years it’s like, ‘Okay.’ Who cares if I’m fake? I win fights and that’s what I’m here to do. I’m not here to win you over in my personality. I’m here to fight, that’s ultimately my job. I look at the people who hate on me, and it’s never anything solid. It’s like, ‘Dude you poke people in the eyes in your fights.’ Okay that’s an accident, or it’s, ‘Hey you’re fake, you’re bigger than the other light heavyweights.’
It’s always real stupid stuff. So I’ve learned to kind of laugh at it. I’m just waiting for the person who really hates me and gives me a legit answer or reason. No one has ever really given me anything solid, outside of calling me fake. I mean what are we in high school? I’m a grown man. I’m like, ‘Okay you’re calling me fake? You can’t call my work ethic fake and the things I’ve achieved fake.’”
Having broken nearly every record at 205 pounds, Jones is already regarded as the greatest light heavyweight in UFC history.
A win over Cormier on Saturday night would put him two title defenses away from tying former middleweight champ Anderson Silva’s unearthly record of 10 consecutive UFC title defenses.
There’s certainly no faking those stats and accomplishments, whether you love or hate Jon Jones.
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
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