After two months of controversy, and national headlines leading up to Friday’s CFA 11 co-main event at Bank United Center in Coral Gables, Fla., transgender fighter Fallon Fox finally got to fight an opponent as opposed to harsh criticism. She defeated Allanna Jones via submission by a modified North-South choke, riding her shin across Jones’ […]
After two months of controversy, and national headlines leading up to Friday’s CFA 11 co-main event at Bank United Center in Coral Gables, Fla., transgender fighter Fallon Fox finally got to fight an opponent as opposed to harsh criticism. She defeated Allanna Jones via submission by a modified North-South choke, riding her shin across Jones’ […]
As long as the fighter is licensed by a commission, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos is willing to step into the cage against anyone, including male-to-female transgender fighter Fallon Fox. The former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champ recently spoke with Josh Gross of ESPN.com about the controversy surrounding Fox’s quest to become a licensed female fighter. She wants […]
As long as the fighter is licensed by a commission, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos is willing to step into the cage against anyone, including male-to-female transgender fighter Fallon Fox. The former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champ recently spoke with Josh Gross of ESPN.com about the controversy surrounding Fox’s quest to become a licensed female fighter. She wants […]
Dana White is fed up with people bad-mouthing the flyweights. The UFC President was noticeably upset at the post-fight press conference for UFC 152, after sifting through tons of negative tweets regarding the flyweight title fight between Demetrious Jo…
Dana White is fed up with people bad-mouthing the flyweights. The UFC President was noticeably upset at the post-fight press conference for UFC 152, after sifting through tons of negative tweets regarding the flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. In one of the most competitive and entertaining title bouts of the year, […]
There are a couple of taboo topics at your local watering hole: religion and politics. These two subjects bring out the best and worst in people because the issues are argued with both an intense passion for one’s belief and ire against another’s. Both sides are unwilling to concede the debate, and when you mix in a few cocktails, it ultimately ends in name calling and/or fisticuffs. But among MMA fans, a third topic has already been added to the unwritten “Banned-Bar-Conversation-List.” I’m speaking, of course, about Jon Jones.
Over the past several days, CP has posted not one, not two, but three pieces concerning Jones and his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The UFC light-heavyweight champion’s arrest was justifiably big news, and both his supporters and detractors took to the comments section to voice their opinions; the Bones-lovers came with a shield to defend Jones and the haters came with party favors to celebrate his misfortune. Here are a few representative comments left by some of you…
SquidInk Jones haters, what’s it like being so fucking perfect?
Darkside Everybody falls down eventually. But, that fall hurts a lot more when it’s off of your high horse.
Brobafett oh god someone drove drunk!!!!??? what a horrible person…blah blah blah. Who gives a fuck? Its stupid he even has to apologize, he already killed his Bentley what else do you want?
(The fact that Jones stomped that rabbit to death seconds after this photo was taken did not get him any new fans either.)
There are a couple of taboo topics at your local watering hole: religion and politics. These two subjects bring out the best and worst in people because the issues are argued with both an intense passion for one’s belief and ire against another’s. Both sides are unwilling to concede the debate, and when you mix in a few cocktails, it ultimately ends in name calling and/or fisticuffs. But among MMA fans, a third topic has already been added to the unwritten “Banned-Bar-Conversation-List.” I’m speaking, of course, about Jon Jones.
Over the past several days, CP has posted not one, not two, but three pieces concerning Jones and his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The UFC light-heavyweight champion’s arrest was justifiably big news, and both his supporters and detractors took to the comments section to voice their opinions; the Bones-lovers came with a shield to defend Jones and the haters came with party favors to celebrate his misfortune. Here are a few representative comments left by some of you…
SquidInk Jones haters, what’s it like being so fucking perfect?
Darkside Everybody falls down eventually. But, that fall hurts a lot more when it’s off of your high horse.
Brobafett oh god someone drove drunk!!!!??? what a horrible person…blah blah blah. Who gives a fuck? Its stupid he even has to apologize, he already killed his Bentley what else do you want?
RearNakedSpoon You know how some people get bigger ego’s when they drink? His must have finally blocked his vision at this point.
AKArbalest Awesome. I don’t want to sound like too much of an asshole, taking joy in other people’s misery… but I’m glad we can stop with the phony good two shoes act.
bigpurn So many haters. I have never seen people take so much pleasure in something bad happening to someone(besides all the Lebron haters), and for what? I’m sure most of you have done worse than wrecking your car against a pole.
There you have it. Put these six people in a bar together and it is only a matter of time before one guy is swinging a pool cue like a samurai and another is breaking a Budweiser bottle over somebody’s head.
In the wake of Jones’s arrest, this quote from April 2012 has added jet-fuel to Team Hater:
I’m glad the UFC wanted to work with me, as well. I think they trust that I will never make them look bad. You never have to worry about me getting a DWI or doing something crazy. I think I’m a good company guy.
Supporters say he made a mistake and have promptly forgiven him. Critics now have all the ammo they need to prove their point that “Bones” is in fact a fraud, a phony, a shister, or whatever term you prefer to use.
It is likely that Jones will be offered a plea deal that will make a trial unnecessary if he accepts it, but in the meantime, the UFC brass have requested his presence for a little pow-wow. That fact that a plea will be offered is not out of the ordinary, nor is a meeting with your bosses after an arrest. Either way, the sycophants and the haters are both waiting with baited breath to get on their soap boxes as soon as any news breaks.
Jon Jones has become as polarizing a figure as Chael Sonnen, albeit for completely different reasons. Sonnen says outrageous things to get attention and he wears the black hat well. He is very cerebral in his approach and knows that he can hook many people with his antics even if most know better. Jones, on the other hand, says all the “right” things but seemingly can not convince many fans that he is the proverbial “White Knight” that he claims to be, and the backlash he receives on a regular basis seems to baffle him. He’s the Heel that tried so hard to be a Face.
There were over 100 total comments on both sides of the fence to choose from. Some were thoughtful. Some were sophomoric. Some were vile and a few wanted to sell me some wholesale Nikes. God knows I love the cesspool that is the CP comments section and enjoy the banter we share, but when it comes to Jon Jones there doesn’t appear to be a grey area — there is nothing that either side can say to sway the other side’s convictions.
To the Jon Jones lovers:
Do you honestly believe everything that he says is genuine?
To the Jon Jones haters:
What does he have to do to gain your respect?
After a weekend of near-silence in the wake of his DUI arrest, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones emerged on Facebook this morning to apologize to his fans, while expressing some frustration and anger at the “hateful people” who “try to kick me while I’m down.” Here’s the full message, via MiddleEasy:
“Man I haven’t added anyone new to my Facebook page in like three years and right now I’m so glad that I haven’t. It has literally been sickening to have so many people try to kick me while I’m down. At the same time, I totally understand, I gave them the leeway to. I screwed up, big time. Just needed to say thank you to all you guys for being amazing friends/supporters.
Always having to deal with so many critics, haters and fickle mma fans, I almost forgot how strong of a home base I had (607 and people that knew me before I was a champion fighter). Although the hell that will come with this hasn’t even started yet, I want you guys to know how much better you’ve all made me feel, not only about this situation but about life, everything. It’s good to feel that people are there and care. With that being said, I felt I should apologize to you first.
After a weekend of near-silence in the wake of his DUI arrest, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones emerged on Facebook this morning to apologize to his fans, while expressing some frustration and anger at the “hateful people” who “try to kick me while I’m down.” Here’s the full message, via MiddleEasy:
“Man I haven’t added anyone new to my Facebook page in like three years and right now I’m so glad that I haven’t. It has literally been sickening to have so many people try to kick me while I’m down. At the same time, I totally understand, I gave them the leeway to. I screwed up, big time. Just needed to say thank you to all you guys for being amazing friends/supporters.
Always having to deal with so many critics, haters and fickle mma fans, I almost forgot how strong of a home base I had (607 and people that knew me before I was a champion fighter). Although the hell that will come with this hasn’t even started yet, I want you guys to know how much better you’ve all made me feel, not only about this situation but about life, everything. It’s good to feel that people are there and care. With that being said, I felt I should apologize to you first.
I’m truly sorry to those of you that I may have embarrassed in any way, to those of you with kids that I may have let down. I will prove to them as well as to myself, that no matter what is happening in life, we can always work our way back and make things even better than before. Reading you guys uplifting comments was a great reminder for me to not give up on who I am or all the hateful people. I’m not gonna allow this situation to outweigh the positive. I love you guys right back and I promise to make things right.
PS sorry about the terrible grammar ”
Jon’s apology for his grammar will be a lot easier to accept, considering that his only big mistake was that “Reading you guys uplifting comments” part. As for the DUI? Jones isn’t even the first UFC fighter this month to eat that charge, but at the moment, fan opinion seems to be evenly split between “we’ve all driven buzzed, give the kid a break” and “DUI is the worst crime you can possibly commit, R.I.P. CHARLES ‘MASK’ LEWIS”.
Maybe Jones will come out of this experience stronger and wiser, after being forced to deal with more adversity than he’s ever seen in the Octagon. Then again, this is the last thing he needs in the run-up to a fight against Dan Henderson. Let’s see how he handles it…
Last night I had the misfortune of seeing about 30 seconds of the CW reality show H8R. (That’s pronounced “hater,” grandpa.) In this particular episode, Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis tried to convince some chick that he wasn’t in fact the greatest douchebag of our generation. His primary defense was that the girl didn’t know him personally, and was judging him based only on the “character” she knows from GGW — you know, the character he created. Awful. Just awful. And yet, I’d love to see an episode of that show starring UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
As soon as Jones won his belt, he immediately went from a widely beloved underdog story (“he learned his striking from YouTube videos, you guys!”) to a lightning rod for message-board criticism. Exactly why some fans seem to passionately dislike Bones is a topic that we’ll discuss more in depth on tomorrow’s episode of The Bum Rush. In the meantime, I decided to revive an old CagePotato feature — “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You” and its sequel — and twist it to reflect today’s hate-crazed MMA climate. So, for example, if your least-favorite fighter is…
Last night I had the misfortune of seeing about 30 seconds of the CW reality show H8R. (That’s pronounced “hater,” grandpa.) In this particular episode, Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis tried to convince some chick that he wasn’t in fact the greatest douchebag of our generation. His primary defense was that the girl didn’t know him personally, and was judging him based only on the “character” she knows from GGW — you know, the character he created. Awful. Just awful. And yet, I’d love to see an episode of that show starring UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
As soon as Jones won his belt, he immediately went from a widely beloved underdog story (“he learned his striking from YouTube videos, you guys!”) to a lightning rod for message-board criticism. Exactly why some fans seem to passionately dislike Bones is a topic that we’ll discuss more in depth on tomorrow’s episode of The Bum Rush. In the meantime, I decided to revive an old CagePotato feature — “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You” and its sequel — and twist it to reflect today’s hate-crazed MMA climate. So, for example, if your least-favorite fighter is…
Let’s get one thing straight: Wrestling is not a martial art. It’s the opposite of a martial art. Wrestlers are the reason that you started taking Tae Kwon Do in the first place, when you were 12 years old. (Long story short: There were a couple of kids on the wrestling team that used to push you down and drag you around by your legs in front of everybody, and once you got your green belt in TKD they didn’t do it nearly as much.) Basically, you watch MMA for the action — more specifically the knockouts, though submissions can be cool too, sometimes. But watching a couple of dudes grab onto each other and hump on the mat for 15 minutes? That’s not fighting. That’s…you don’t know what it is, but it makes you uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. You clear your browser history every time you finish using your laptop.
The only thing you hate worse than a liar is a thief. And the only thing you hate worse than a thief is a real-estate agent. While some UFC fans find Sonnen’s trash-talk hilarious, you see him for what he really is — a slimy, racist sociopath who probably has a few prostitutes buried in his basement. And is it true that his balls are tiny and sitting up in his stomach? Just thinking about it gives you chills. You have normal-sized balls, for the record. If Rick Perry gets elected next year, you’re moving to Canada, seriously, for real this time.
For a long time, Chuck Liddell was your favorite fighter. Then, that cocky son-of-a-bitch Rashad Evans stole his soul. You didn’t know what to do with yourself for a while. You tried to make Fedor Emelianenko your favorite fighter, but that didn’t work out either. Rashad ruined everything. It goes without saying that you’re a Caucasian dude, not that the color of your skin has anything to do with your hatred of Rashad Evans. I mean, you’ve been around plenty of black people. One of your old co-workers was black. Kind of an awful experience, but hey, you got through it.
You followed Dana White on Twitter before any of your friends did, and you send him ‘@’ messages every day. One time he publicly replied to you with “ha!” when you made a joke about Josh Barnett’s blood being radioactive. That was probably the greatest day of your life. Before that, the greatest day of your life was when you wished Arianny Celeste good luck at a photo shoot and she re-tweeted it. You got, like, 20 new followers that day. Whatever it is you do for a living, you get paid hourly. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos will be the greatest, most significant heavyweight fight in the history of MMA. Brock Lesnar is going to smash Alistair Overeem, and you plan on being the first person in the world to tweet “IN UR FACE!!! #strikefarce”
You distrust people with long arms. You read the Bible, but think the book of Philippians is way overrated. When you accidentally knocked up your girlfriend, you had the common courtesy to marry her. Everything you accomplished in life came from hard work, not from being young, or naturally gifted, or talented in any measurable way. You like Rampage because he keeps it real. You like Rashad because he has swagger. You don’t know what the hell Greg Jackson is doing down there in Albuquerque, but if the whole camp turns up dead one day from a mass Kool-Aid poisoning, it wouldn’t really surprise you. Your wife used to watch UFC with you only if Georges St. Pierre was on the card. Well, guess who her new “favorite fighter” is now? If Barack Obama gets re-elected next year, you’re moving to Australia, seriously, for real this time.
That’s about all I have energy for right now. If you’d like to see a sequel one day, shoot your suggestions in the comments section…
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