Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones are doing their best to get fans excited for UFC 159. Unfortunately, the pre-fight talk will not mean a thing once the bout starts.
Jones started off the trash talk on Twitter by stating how badly he will beat his upcoming opponent:
Of course, this did not seem to frighten Sonnen when discussing the bout:
In his interview, the American Gangster made some interesting statements about his skill as a fighter:
I’m the best MMA wrestler in the world. I can take Jon Jones down anytime I want to. I’m a two-time National Champion, I got a silver medal from the World Championships…that says I can take Jon Jones down. He’s never had an experience like this.
While this back and forth seemed to be in good fun, things took a more serious turn when Jones accused Sonnen of using performance-enhancing drugs. He said that “people know he’s done steroids throughout his career” (via MMAjunkie.com).
Although Jones later apologized (via ESPN), this type of accusation is something that will stick around for a while.
There were various other examples of verbal assaults towards each other, but it will not matter once the two step into the Octagon on April 27.
Jones is one of the best MMA fighters in the world, and arguably one of the best of all time. He has won 17 of his 18 career matches, only losing once by disqualification.
After earning the Light Heavyweight Championship he has been even more impressive. He has defended the title four times, winning three by submission and easily topping Rashad Evans by unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, Sonnen has been up and down throughout his career. He was unable to top Anderson Silva in his recent title fight, and had a few poor losses at the middleweight division over the years.
It is tough to imagine him being able to succeed at a higher weight class against a much tougher opponent.
Forrest Griffin, who was schedule to face Sonnen a few months ago, questioned why the fighter was able to get this match. According to Dana Becker of Fightline.com, he said Sonnen did not fight his way to this opportunity, but instead “talked his way to the top.”
Trash talking is part of the sport and it is important to promote the pay-per-view. However, that alone will not make this a better match than it is.
Jones is the overwhelming favorite to win at -800, according to Bovada. He will likely continue his impressive streak against Sonnen and it probably will not even be close.
It is truly a shame that this sport has to resort to making headlines before the event to try to make money.
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