At UFC 140 Jon “Bones” Jones submitted Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida via standing guillotine choke, Jones then proceeded to walk away leaving his stricken opponent in an unconscious heap, supposedly unaware of what condition Machida might’ve been in at the time.
Following his victory Greg Jackson had yelled to his charge to “go check on Lyoto Machida and get yourself some fans,” unbeknown to him that his comments had been picked up by microphones and aired to the fans on UFC.tv.
Those comments to Jones unwittingly sent the wrong message to the fans, who now think that Jackson was only orchestrating a PR stunt in order to enhance Jones’ profile and reputation as one of the good guys, and that Machida’s well-being was the last thing on his mind.
Still, regardless of his comments, no one, not even the fans, have any concrete evidence of Jackson’s real intentions when relaying that message to Jones.
And let’s say for argument’s sake that the comments were in actuality intended for that specific purpose, is it a crime?
Not in the least, at present Jones is a superstar in the making, but what he lacks is that hero-worshipping fan base—the kind the likes of Wanderlei Silva or a Chuck Liddell are accustomed to.
That’s partly due to the way Jones carries and conducts himself (not in a bad way, he’s just being who he is—Jon Jones) and some of fans have come to perceive that behavior as arrogant and/or disrespectful.
Be that as it may, what would’ve transpired if Jackson had remained schtum and went about his business—savoring Jones’ glorious moment?
Nothing, it would’ve been just another night in the Octagon where one fighter lost and the other was victorious, and no one would be any the wiser.
The whole brouhaha over Jackson’s comments were overblown and is just a storm in a tea cup.
Still, rest assured this uproar will blow over sooner rather than later.
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