Jon Jones is no stranger to having labels attached to his name.
Throughout his meteoric rise to the top of mixed martial arts, the 27-year-old phenom has been a lightning rod of attention, drawing immense amounts of praise for the skills he’s shown inside the Octagon, and criticism for the way he’s carried himself outside of the cage. Whether that label be super star or villain, pound-for-pound great or instigator, at the end of the day the New York native is the UFC light heavyweight champion—the most dominant in the promotion’s history in fact.
Yet, all those elements have combined to make the Jackson/Winkeljohn representative one of the most polarizing figures in MMA, and the energy surrounding the long-reigning title holder has only intensified in the lead up to his highly anticipated tilt with rival Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on Jan. 3 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Champion and challenger have exchanged barbs over the past two years during interviews and media appearances, but the beef between Jones and Cormier hit the stratosphere back in August when a routine media face-off between them turned into a brawl that made national news in the sports world. The two fighters went to blows in the lobby of the MGM Grand, and several moments later, their title tilt became one of the most anticipated showdowns in UFC history.
There have been plenty of promotional spots and interviews in the buildup to their collision at UFC 182, with the majority painting Jones as the villain in the matchup. The UFC included what was believed to be an off-air argument between Jones and Cormier in the promotional material for the event, and while the champion believes he’s being made out to be the “bad guy” in the situation, it’s a role he’s comfortable playing.
He knows the UFC and media are going to paint the storyline in the buildup to the fight, and those are elements he doesn‘t allow to affect him. “Bones” is focused on the work ahead and everything else is essentially just that.
“It’s easy to paint me as the instigator,” Jones told Bleacher Report at a recent media day in Albuquerque. “It changes the storyline and I think a lot of people want me to be the bad guy. It seems like the media has painted me to be the bad guy and I’m okay with that. I’m comfortable with that. Ultimately, I have a great team and family, I’m coming up in the world and life is great. It doesn’t matter if I’m the good guy or the bad guy. Every actor has their phases. Artists change their names. Fighters change their names at different stages of their careers. If I’m the bad guy right now for this storyline, then I’ll play the bad guy.”
While the bout against the former Olympic wrestler is figured to be his biggest test to date, Jones has spent his entire career—especially the past three years—answering one huge challenge after the next. He became the youngest champion in UFC history when he defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 back in March of 2011, and he has successfully defended his title on seven consecutive occasions in the three years since earning the strap.
That said, Cormier has built a swell of momentum on his quest to dethrone Jones as he’s built an undefeated record and earned a shot at the light heavyweight title without every losing a round inside the Octagon. The Louisiana native has also been quite vocal about his belief that he will defeat Jones at UFC 182, and the champion believes Cormier is doing whatever he can to make himself believe victory over Jones is a possibility.
In a recent interview, the AKA staple said he will not only defeat Jones but make it look easy at UFC 182 and statements of that nature leave the-pound-for-pound great shaking his head.
“[Cormier] reminds me of Chael Sonnen when he says things like that,” Jones said. “No disrespect to Chael, but Chael is very good at the antics and saying things that just aren’t true. For him to say he’s going to make it look easy, I know for a fact he doesn’t believe that in his heart. How can he say that? I don’t know what he’s seen as far as footage or my fights. Him saying he thinks he’ll win is one thing, but for him to say he’ll make it look easy is like saying, ‘I can fly.’ It just holds no weight.
“I like these fights. I’ve had all types of fights but I like these ones too. There is added motivation when there is somebody saying you’re gonna get dominated or get your butt kicked. It motivates me and fuels me. At the level I’m at—with so much experience and so many great fights—you need little things to keep that fire going. Not only going, but raging.”
While Jones vs. Cormier is a hotly anticipated affair and many believe “D.C.” to be the most difficult opponent he’s faced in his career, the young champion has spent every step of his reign faced with similar circumstances. Where the names of the opponents have changed, and the weapons they bring to the table differ (Lyoto Machida’s karate style, Alexander Gustafsson’s range), Jones has proven to be a versatile fighter with a diverse arsenal of skills.
The dominance he’s shown inside the Octagon has evoked comparisons to all-time boxing great Muhammad Ali, but Jones isn’t willing to give much credence to the notion. Ali is widely regarded as the greatest boxer to ever compete, with Joe Frazier being his greatest rival inside the ring, and that would make Cormier is “Smoking Joe” by comparison.
Yet, while Jones isn’t willing to play much into that line of thought, he was confident there is always going to be another great challenge waiting around every corner.
“I don’t think about those comparisons,” Jones said. “There will only ever be one Frazier and one Ali. We are in a totally different era and in a different sport. Who knows? If we want to compare ourselves to Ali and Frazier, there will always be a Frazier. I just have to keep passing these tests.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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