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MMA News: Jon Jones & the Sport of MMA Needs Your Help

If you haven’t heard the news lately, the Mixed Martial Arts community is desperately trying to get the quickly growing sport sanctioned in New York State. MMA is legally sanctioned in 45 out of 48 of our great states that have athletic commissio…

If you haven’t heard the news lately, the Mixed Martial Arts community is desperately trying to get the quickly growing sport sanctioned in New York State.

MMA is legally sanctioned in 45 out of 48 of our great states that have athletic commissions, but still remains completely banned in the state of New York.

UFC President, Dana White has been the biggest advocate for the sport since he stepped onto the scene in 2001, when Zuffa, LLC purchased what is now the largest MMA promotion in the world.

While he may be the most active, White is not the only one pressing for change. We have also been hearing from the voices of the fighters themselves, the latest of which is none-other than native New Yorker and UFC light heavyweight champion, Jonny “Bones” Jones.

A letter written by Jones to the people of the United States went out in the MMAFacts.com newsletter today, urging us to take action now as there are only five days left before the legislative session ends.

Hi everyone,

Thanks to everyone who came out or watched me win the light heavyweight championship at UFC 128 in Newark! It was truly an honor and NY MMA fans are always incredible.

But as great as New Jersey was to visit, I wish I could compete in front of my friends and family in my home state of New York! Fighting in MSG would be a dream – it would be a feeling of making it. That’s why I need your help.

The New York State Senate has already passed the bill sanctioning MMA and the NYS Assembly passed it through the Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee, so we’re halfway there. I’ve been to Albany myself to talk to legislators, but I know that’s not enough. Elected officials need to know that their constituents want this bill passed. That’s where you come in.

Please call your Assemblyman or Assemblywoman by clicking here, and ask your friends to do the same.

If we can help push the bill through the Assembly, we’ll finally be able to watch fights in Madison Square Garden, my hometown of Rochester, and across this great state!

With only five days left before session ends, your calls are more important than ever. It only take a minute, we can do this!

Sincerely,

Jon

If you’re not a resident of New York, but would still like your voice to be heard, click here to sign the petition.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones Might Want to Think Long and Hard About This Whole Movie Acting Thing

(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAHeat)

Hopefully for Jon Jones’ sake the UFC fighter film curse doesn’t extend to him.

As we mentioned over the weekend, the UFC light heavyweight champion told Karyn Bryant last week that he was at Warner Bros. for a meeting to discuss the possibility of starring in one of the company’s upcoming films. Looking back at his fellow UFC fighters’ track records after starring in movies, “Bones” might want to think long and hard about whether or not he wants to become an actor at this point in his career.

An explanation after the jump.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAHeat)

Hopefully for Jon Jones’ sake the UFC fighter film curse doesn’t extend to him.

Here’s the proof:

• When The Scorpion King 2 was released in 2008, Randy Couture lost back to back fights to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Sure, he beat James Toney the same month that The Expendables was released, but since that one was more like a light sparring session we’ll look at the Machida fight as being the one that counts.

• Chuck Liddell dropped two straight to Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine after The Life and Death of Bobby Z was released in 2007 and lost three in a row to Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua and Rich Franklin after Drillbit Taylor hit theatres in 2008.

• After Cyborg Soldier was released, Rich Franklin lost to Dan Henderson.

• Quinton Jackson lost to Rashad Evans after Never Surrender was released. He won his first fight after the release of A-Team, but the split decision over Lyoto Machida was hotly contested and could have just as easily have gone to “The Dragon.”

• Tito Ortiz lost his next two fights and Chuck Liddell lost his UFC interim light heavyweight title bout to Randy Couture after Cradle 2 the Grave hit theatres in 2003.

• Ortiz hasn’t won a fight since appearing in Zombie Strippers in 2008.

• Keith Jardine lost four in a row and was dropped from the UFC roster after Crank: High Voltage came out in 2009.

*As an aside, Karyn likes CP and thinks we’re hilarious….

Jon Jones: 10 Things You Need to Know…and the Resulting Questions

Not even superheroes stand a chance. Jonny “Bones” Jones’ rapid rise to UFC greatness and superstardom has even surpassed the oft-utilised adjective “meteoric.” He made his full professional MMA debut in April 2008 and just shy of…

Not even superheroes stand a chance.

Jonny “Bones” Jones’ rapid rise to UFC greatness and superstardom has even surpassed the oft-utilised adjective “meteoric.”

He made his full professional MMA debut in April 2008 and just shy of three years later, he annihilated, and to a certain extent humiliated, former Pride legend Shogun Rua to reign atop the two-buck five division.

During that three-year period he effectively remained undefeated in his MMA career, with the exception of his disqualification loss to Matt Hamill, universally-recognised as a comfortable victory for the New York native.

Despite his wrestling credentials, he actively trained in MMA for a mere three months before his first outing in the cage—which renders his accomplishments thus far startling, and does not bode well for his prospective adversaries (bearing in mind that he remains very much a work in progress).

Jones fondly recalls that his introduction to the sport, over which he now presides, was simply viewing Anderson Silva YouTube footage and endeavouring to emulate the movements and techniques.

Three-and-a-half-years later the two shared a stage in Toronto, along with the five other UFC champions. It’s a phenomenal odyssey.

Is there anyone who can keep up with the Joneses? Or rephrased, do you think there is anybody at LHW that can realistically challenge JBJ and pose a threat to his ascendancy to the pinnacle of the p4p list?

Follow me on Twitter @jonathanshrager

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Keyboard Warriors: No Suit For Tito

Happy Monday, Nation. We hope you had a good weekend. No, really, we hope you’re in a good mood, since we’re presenting the second installment of Keyboard Warrior. Hopefully everyone had naked funtime last night, slept like a baby, and had a great breakfast this morning. Otherwise, we imagine there will be lots of very not-nice things in the comments.

We’ve changed up the appearance of KBW, making it look more like a typical MMA forum, complete with the kind of critical information any Keyboard Warrior should have for important discussion, like join date and number of posts. Maybe now it won’t seem like we’re blatantly ripping off other peoples’ ideas.

You can read the first episode here (all two pages of it), check out number two, and then you’re welcome to leave suggestions, ideas, and odes to our greatness below.

Thanks again to WithLeather and @MrBrandonStroud for letting us blatantly rip off their ideas.

[RX]

You can read the first episode here (all two pages of it), check out number two, and then you’re welcome to leave suggestions, ideas, and odes to our greatness below.

Thanks again to WithLeather and @MrBrandonStroud for letting us blatantly rip off their ideas.

[RX]

Not This Sh*t Again: Now Jon Jones Has Caught the Acting Bug

There seems to be a growing trend of fighters getting dazzled by the bright lights of Hollywood, and thus far it hasn’t exactly been a wonderful experience for fight fans. In this interview with MMA H.E.A.T.’s Karyn Bryant, Jon Jones talks about his recent meeting with top execs at Warner Brothers to discuss potential movie roles.

There are two main reasons that one might be opposed to films starring MMA fighters. First off, by and large, they suck. Until very recently, fighters were relegated to roles in ‘C’ and ‘D’ list films, basically anything that was the third or fourth straight-to-video sequel to a hit from twenty years ago or a straight-to-video knockoff of a hit from twenty years ago. But even if the movie is a summer blockbuster, we’re stuck with reason two: these films will interfere with fights. Filming a movie takes a lot of time, and timing is everything in the fight game. If Hollywood takes a shining to Jones, it’s terrific for him and it would undoubtedly raise some mainstream awareness for our sport, but as a greedy fan I don’t want to see important fights delayed any longer than they absolutely must be.

Dana’s thoughts on thespian Jones and a small taste of his acting chops after the jump.

The good news? Dana White says Bones can’t act. According to the Baldfather, he had to step in for Jones and deliver his line–”Here we go!”–when the Light Heavyweight Champ choked on the set of their recent Bud Light commercial. Not exactly a supportive thing to say about your champ when he’s trying to start up an acting career, unless…say, you don’t think Dana’s opposed to that, do you?

As for Jones’s stage presence, you make the call. Will he be quitting his day job anytime soon?

Young Pics of Vancouver’s Pamela Anderson Bring You the Fix Friday Link Dump

UFC finally adding Flyweight Divison, signing 125-pounders: here. Spike TV confirms TUF 14 to start with 32 fighters elimated down to 14 and no wild card picks: here. UFC 135 will be headlined by Jon.