With UFC 140 now in the books and Jon Jones defending his UFC belt for the second time, it’s been established that Jones is for real. Jones answered his biggest question, “How does he react after getting hit?” and showed that he can come back from some adversity.
The only question that remains now is not if he is for real in the cage. He has adequately proven himself to any of his detractors. It now becomes a question of whether he can become MMA‘s biggest draw.
The UFC certainly needs him to be. The promotion has grown to the point where it doesn’t need a huge name to sell out arenas, but the bigger draws are starting to get older (Silva), are injured (GSP) or are dangerously close to being irrelevant or retired (Lesnar).
The odd thing about his meteoric rise through the ranks has been his decline in popularity. Whether the gripes about his personality are true, the consensus has become that Jones is a fake.
While it’s hard for us, the fans, to truly judge whether someone is genuine, the perception has certainly become the reality and his reputation has taken a hit.
Perhaps in more than any sport, personality matters in MMA.
There’s no helmet to wear, no team to hide behind, you are your own brand.
While Jones’ confidence and personality may hinder his reputation now, there will be a point when it simply doesn’t matter. If sports has taught us one thing, winning conquers all flaws.
Example No. 1—Michael Jordan
Perhaps the most marketable athlete in sports history was Michael Jordan. There are many accounts of Jordan’s vindictive and bristly personality.
If Jordan had been an MMA fighter, chances are he wouldn’t have been a fan favorite. He would have been cocky, smug and probably wouldn’t have been the best guy to train with. He was merciless with his teammates in the NBA, always in the pursuit of perfection.
So why was Jordan so marketable?
He won.
It didn’t matter that in reality he was a tough person to play with and not the most likeable person; it mattered that he was the best winner since Magic and Bird.
When Jordan was playing on TV or if he was coming to your local arena, you were going to be watching. Not because he was a likeable guy, but because you were about to witness greatness.
Jones is reaching that level. Love him or hate him, you have to watch because you are witnessing greatness.
Example No. 2—Tim Tebow
Perhaps a more recent comparison to Jones would be Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. This comparison has been made before but it holds a lot of validity when wondering if Jones can become MMA’s biggest draw.
Tebow has also fallen under criticism because of his personality. The difference between Tebow and Jones is talent. Tebow is unconventional and doesn’t have the traditional skill set of typical NFL quarterbacks, and we don’t know if he will have staying power in the league despite a 7-1 record as a starter this year.
What we do know for sure is about Tebow is he is currently the NFL’s biggest draw.
If ESPN were to have a Broncos game on “Monday Night Football,” it would undoubtedly be the highest rated of the year.
Tebow has his fair share of detractors, from his personality to his unconventional skill set, and many people are just waiting to see Tebow fail.
Either way they are tuning in.
Jones is in a very similar situation. While his talent is far more proven than Tebow’s. He still remains disliked by a large portion of fans.
Eventually Jones’ winning ways will force people to tune in.
What Tebow has taught us is that winning is paramount when it comes to sparking up the debate and being the big draw.
Example No. 3—Anderson Silva
The only man to be more polarizing than Jon Jones, is the pound-for-pound king of MMA himself, Anderson Silva. “The Spider” is a fighter that is either loved or hated.
Those that love him, love the way he fights in the octagon and appreciates his impressive undefeated run in the UFC.
Those that dislike him point to his lack of respect for some opponents and his cockiness. Silva is another fighter with a polarizing personality.
He’s also one of the biggest draws in the UFC.
Silva fighting anyone is huge news, and Chael Sonnen has become one of the most popular fighters in the UFC simply because he almost beat Silva. Simply put, Silva sells.
It won’t be long until Jones reaches Silva status. Regardless of how many people don’t like his personality they’ll have to tune in because they will be witnessing greatness.
So, can Jon Jones become MMA’s biggest draw?
Absolutely.
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