Light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones is incredibly similar to WWE superstar John Cena.
Both of these athletes are arguably the most successful in their respected sport/entertainment, but once the music sounds, they usually walk out to a chorus of boos. So why is that?
Like many good, old-fashioned Americans, my childhood was consumed with wrestling. My passion for wrestling followed me through the years until Cena got the push of a lifetime. I didn’t mind it at first, but then I started noticing the cheers turn to boos.
Once I realized the WWE was trying to reenact the second coming of Hulk Hogan through Cena, my passion for wrestling would never be the same, and I found a new addiction in MMA.
Fast forward five or six years later, and I can’t help but notice the chorus of boos surrounding the UFC’s most marketable superstar. When Cena first came to RAW, he wowed fans with his charisma, hard work and his “raw” abilities to put on a solid match. No pun intended.
The same could be said about Jones when he came to the UFC. His dynamic striking, unorthodox style and ability to toss the likes of Stephan Bonnar and Matt Hammill anywhere he pleased was something MMA fans had never seen before.
Some could make the argument that Jones is the best talent to ever take on MMA, and you wouldn’t get an argument out of me. This guy was all the MMA community was talking about, and his popularity grew immensely with every flashy victory. But then something happened.
The cheers turned to boos, and to this day, I still haven’t figured out the sole purpose for all of these boos. In fact, I somewhat feel sorry for Jones in the same way I feel bad for Cena when he gets booed out of the building. That’s still going on nowadays by the way.
When you think about it—what did Cena do to get booed? All he’s ever done is pour his heart and soul into wrestling, and it’s the fault of the WWE that fans have grown to hate him. They’re the ones who made him this invincible character, not Cena.
Now when it comes to the Jones hate, I can’t quite put my finger on it. My theory is that fans don’t like Jones because they believe he’s putting on an act. What he calls confidence, fans call cockiness, and they believe everything about him is fake.
I’m not sold on that theory because I feel like he is a genuine person. However, I’ll admit that when he doesn’t cuss in interviews, after seeing him cuss in one of Dana White’s video blogs, well, it seems forced.
In one of White’s video blogs leading up to Jones’ first championship fight, he called White to tell him about taking down the mugger. Jones was obviously excited, and he let out a couple of cuss words. Hours later, the UFC took the video down, and since then, things took a turn for the worse with Jones and MMA fans.
I understand that he’s trying to to be a positive role model for kids, but hot-headed fans don’t think about that. Another similarity between the two has been their short rise to the top. They quickly became the face of their entities, and fans generally want to see the blue collar guy rise to the top after going through one challenge after another. But these two were naturals when it came to entertaining the fans.
Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t deny that they fill seats and they are well-known for what they do. You may not love Jones or Cena, but don’t be surprised when you see them on SportsCenter and doing PR across the Unites States.
Ultimately, I believe Jones will win over the fans in the MMA community just like Anderson Silva did in his comeback victory over Chael Sonnen. Maybe that’s what Bones needs—a “Sonnen” to push him to the limits and challenge him both mentally and spiritually inside the Octagon.
As for Cena, well, he’s still getting his chorus of boos, but he has his hardcore fans behind him each and every week. He’s the biggest face in the WWE, and he’s well on his way to being considered the greatest WWE “superstar” of all-time. He’s got there because of his hard work and everything he’s put into the ring.
So don’t mind the haters, Jones, things ended up turning out just fine for Cena, and I have a feeling the same will happen to you. Win the audience over through your hard work and dedication. That’s the ingredients that can make a Cena hater write an article praising the guy. Here’s your proof.
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