You can add one more to the list of people who are upset over Jon Jones’ refusal to fight would-be UFC 151 replacement contender Chael Sonnen.
At this point, one more is but a drop in an ocean of people slinging criticism at the UFC light heavyweight champ, but the latest critic is a rather notable one.
That’s because the latest individual to sound off on the affair is none other than Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Rousey spoke with ESPN about the UFC 151 fallout and questioned the way Jones’ management handled the situation.
Mostly, I’d be more bummed with my coach, if I had that situation come up and my coach said anything else other than ‘you’re the world champion, you could beat anyone, anytime. Go do it’, I would think ‘why doesn’t my coach have any confidence in me?’ I don’t know what Jon Jones’ reasoning is, but I’d have made a different decision.
The face of WMMA went on to commiserate with the jilted fighters scheduled to participate at UFC 151, who will miss out on a paycheck because the show was cancelled after no replacement for the injured Dan Henderson could be found.
I don’t have any kids to provide for, if I come home with a bruised up face and a loss all I have to worry about is my own pride and my cable bill. When I was first starting out, when I really needed the money, the main event fell through and the whole event was cancelled and I know how that feels. I wouldn’t want to do that to anybody else.
But more than just sympathizing, Rousey claims she would have been willing to step in for a replacement main event to save the show, had the UFC desired it.
If Dana said he wanted me to fight Chris ‘Cyborg’ Santos with a 40lbs weight disadvantage or wrap our hands with Duck Tape and be there in 40 minutes, I’d say I’d be there in 10 minutes just so I could stretch first.
That’s something of a different tune than what Rousey was singing after her fight with Sarah Kaufman, when she demanded Cyborg drop to 135 if that bout was to happen—a statement recapped by Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com.
Certainly, the fight would have made for an interesting alternative, and it would have marked the first time two women entered the UFC’s fabled Octagon.
Though that scenario never came to fruition, Rousey’s statements add to the plethora of criticism facing Jones right now, and embody a clear message that, as a champion, he needs to (wo)man up.
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