Jon Jones would rather use the term “instinctual” instead of “dirty” when discussing eye gouging accusations.
The UFC light heavyweight champ’s dangerous habit of utilizing an open palm to maintain distance tends to leave …
Jon Jones would rather use the term “instinctual” instead of “dirty” when discussing eye gouging accusations.
The UFC light heavyweight champ’s dangerous habit of utilizing an open palm to maintain distance tends to leave opponents squinting like Chuck Coleman from The Wonder Years. Particularly in his bout against Glover Teixeira, Jones faced a lot of criticism for fighting with an open hand and poking opponents in the eyes.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Jones addressed the criticism surrounding his open-handed tactic, which many believe to be dirty:
I realize that I do it. I realize the criticism that I got from it. It’s not on purpose. If you watch my fights, a lot of the times when guys get poked in the eyes, it’s me extending my arm in a reactionary way. I do put a hand on people’s foreheads to maintain distance. That’s what you saw in the Teixeira fight, but to say I am purposely poking people in the eye, it’s just inaccurate. You can call it what you want.
MMA legend BasRutten called Jones a “dirty fighter” after the Teixeira fight.
Appearing on Inside MMA, Rutten claimed that Jones was a calm and methodical fighter who knows exactly what he’s doing every time he steps into the Octagon. There’s no way around the word dirty when a fighter purposely rubs his fingers into the face of an opponent, according to the former UFC heavyweight champ.
However, Jones maintains the argument that the eye pokes aren’t on purpose. He even admits that it’s something he needs to work on.
“I don’t believe it’s dirty,” Jones said. “It’s something that I do instinctually, it’s something that I need to work on. It’s just something that happens.”
Jones is slated to defend his title against Daniel Cormier in the UFC 178 main event on Sept. 27. On fight night, all eyes will be on the champ to see if he makes the necessary adjustments or settles back into his old ways.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a huge grudge match coming up against Daniel Cormier at UFC 178 next month, but he has already expressed an interest in a superfight for the future.
Speaking with Sherdog, “Bones” explained that h…
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a huge grudge match coming up against Daniel Cormier at UFC 178 next month, but he has already expressed an interest in a superfight for the future.
Speaking with Sherdog, “Bones” explained that he’d love an opportunity to square off with UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman.
Check out his response when asked if he’d be interested in an opportunity to fight Weidman in New York’s Madison Square Garden—in the event that MMA gets sanctioned.
“Oh, man, I think that would be awesome. I would absolutely jump at the opportunity to have a super fight with Chris Weidman. I respect him a lot as a person and as a champion, and I think that that fight would make great sales — absolutely,” Jones said.
Jones, the top fighter in the UFC’s official rankings, is currently riding an 11-fight win streak (eight finishes) and has seen little opposition outside of a 25-minute war with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September.
His recent remarks are a complete 180 from what the Greg Jackson’s MMA standout said about a possible matchup with Weidman seven months ago.
Back in February, the dominant titleholder said he’d like to see Weidman “prove himself against some other world champions,” despite back-to-back victories over Anderson Silva in 2013, per Yahoo Sports.
Since then, “The All-American” also delivered in a five-round classic against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 last month, getting his hand raised after an entertaining 25-minute scrap.
Coincidentally, Machida is the only common opponent between Jones and Weidman.
Bones defeated “The Dragon” at UFC 140 in December 2011, choking him unconscious with a standing guillotine in the second round of their championship affair.
Weidman, a former two-time All-American wrestler who is a perfect 12-0 inside the cage, also has a tough upcoming matchup on his plate when he takes on former 205-pound champ Vitor Belfort at UFC 181 in December.
In “The Phenom’s” last crack at UFC gold, he took a short-notice fight with Jones, getting submitted in the fourth round of their UFC 152 encounter in September 2012.
In the event that Weidman and Jones make it to 2015 with their undefeated streaks intact, would a superfight between the two make sense?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
If there were any lingering doubts in your mind that Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier might be putting on a show for the sole purpose of filling their pockets with your hard-earned cash, well, those fears should be firmly put to rest.
It was difficult to i…
If there were any lingering doubts in your mind that Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier might be putting on a show for the sole purpose of filling their pockets with your hard-earned cash, well, those fears should be firmly put to rest.
It was difficult to imagine the heat between the pair elevating any more after their Monday lobby brawl at the MGM Grand. But there were those who believed that Jones and Cormier staged the entire thing, possibly with the help of the UFC, in order to boost sales for September’s UFC 178 even further through the roof. It’s not out of the realm of possibility; we’ve seen countless “feuds” between fighters end with both parties hugging in the Octagon and discussing their need to sell the fight.
Fool me once? Shame on you? Fool me 100 times? Just call me a fan of mixed martial arts.
But a Friday video, allegedly “leaked” from the UFC’s offices, shows that Jones and Cormier probably hate each other even more than they’re letting on when in the public eye. The clip, just over 90 seconds in length, was filmed after the fighters were featured on a Monday-evening SportsCenter interview.
Jones and Cormier were in separate rooms at the UFC’s Las Vegas office. During “media hits” such as this one, the UFC will handle all the filming and simply provide a live satellite feed to the outlet in question. Jones and Cormier were under the impression that the interview with ESPN’s Todd Grisham was over and that the cameras were off.
The interview was over. The cameras were still running.
And what those cameras caught was a supremely real moment between two fighters. Much of what they said is unprintable here. They called each other names. Cormier said he wanted to spit in Jones’ face. Jones responded by saying that he would “literally kill” Cormier if he spat in his face, and Cormier said he’d like to see Jones try.
Jones said he wasn’t talking about a fight. “I will literally kill you,” he repeated.
Death threats. If that doesn’t drive pay per views, then nothing will.
Even though the UFC is at least making attempts to look like they don’t want us seeing the clip (they are filing copyright claims on copies of the clip that are springing up on YouTube), it is still viewable on independent outlets which aren’t afraid of a little posturing from the UFC.
If the UFC is going through the trouble of having the video pulled down, doesn’t it mean that the company doesn’t want the public seeing it? Not exactly. My theory: This video was posted on the Internet by someone in the UFC. Whether they had permission to post the video or went rogue is anyone’s guess. But access to this clip would have been limited to Zuffa employees.
They were already off satellite with ESPN, so it didn’t come from the ESPN campus in Bristol.
They were not yet on the air with Jeff Wagenheim from Sports Illustrated, who filmed a segment with both fighters after the ESPN segment with Grisham concluded.
That leaves one option: A UFC employee leaked the video. Was he ordered to do so? Did the UFC leak the video in order to promote ticket sales (which, not coincidentally, began today) and then go through the motions of getting the video yanked from the digital world so that it could pretend it didn’t approve?
We’ll never know, but my money is on yes. And if the UFC did leak the video, it’s a brilliant move on the company’s part.
Regardless, one thing is clear: Jones and Cormier do not like each other. They did not stage a brawl on Monday to enhance interest in the fight. They are actually more cordial to each other in public than they are in private.
And the end result is escalating public interest in a fight that will likely make both men very rich in a single night.
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may have had one of the biggest out-of-the-cage brawls in MMA history earlier this week, but the intensity level was still high long after. While Jones and Cormier kept things oddly calm when they appeared hours later on ES…
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may have had one of the biggest out-of-the-cage brawls in MMA history earlier this week, but the intensity level was still high long after. While Jones and Cormier kept things oddly calm when they appeared hours later on ESPN’s SportsCenter, when the cameras were seemingly turned off, they immediately picked up where they left off.
Luckily for fans and media, though, the cameras were still rolling and boy, they still had a whole lot to say to one another.
In a leaked video (with very NSFW audio), the UFC light heavyweight champ immediately barbs Cormier after their segment ends, asking Cormier “hey, p—-y are you still there?” They continue from there, with Cormier eventually saying he wishes he could “spit in [Jones’] face” which prompts Jones to say “you know I would absolutely kill you if you did something like that, right…I would literally kill you.”
MMAJunkie.com, who is hosting the video on their site at this time, transcribed the conversation:
Cormier: I wish they would let me next door so I can spit in your f–king face.
Jones: You know I would absolutely kill you if you ever did something like that, right?
Cormier: You could never kill me.
Jones: Oh, I bet you I could.
Cormier: Then you should try, Jon. You really should try, Jon.
Jones: I will literally kill you if you spit in my face. Literally kill you.
Cormier: Let’s try that, Jon.
Jones: I’m not saying I would fight you. I said I would kill you if you do some silly sh-t like that.
Once again, this seemingly came seconds after a Sportscenter interview where Jones was soft-spoken and apologetic. The immediate turn from the “professional” Jones to the angry, bitter Jones that has been behind countless barbs and slights on Instagram and Twitter (most of which get immediately deleted) is, as Cormier said, impressive.
Still, this adds even more heat to what was an already huge championship bout. Jones’ utter dominance in the cage has led many to label him among the greatest fighters in MMA history, but he has been just a modest draw on pay-per-view and the box office. The honest-to-goodness vitriol between the two has made the fight with Cormier quite possibly the most anticipated of Jones’ career.
Jones and Cormier will fight at UFC 178 on September 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stick with Bleacher Report for more news on the event, and this ugly rivalry, as they become available.
On Monday, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier went on SportsCenter for a thought-provoking interview about the totally awesome! regrettable press-conference brawl that had gone down just hours beforehand. Though Cormier fired some heated barbs during the segment (“He’s a punk, he’s a liar, he’s a whole bunch of things he shouldn’t be proud about being”), Jones decided to do the interview as his Drowsy Autistic Guy character, which could still use some workshopping, honestly.
It turns out that the real heat came after the segment was officially over. In this incredibly uncomfortable footage (via MMAJunkie), Jones asks Cormier, “Hey pussy, are you still there?”, which leads Cormier to marvel at how fake Jones is, and how he can turn into a completely different person when the cameras are off. Then it gets really good:
Cormier: You are the fucking scum of the earth, you are a terrible human being, but you can sure turn it on, huh?
Jones: Thank you.
Cormier: Gaahh, fuck. I wish they would let me next door so I can spit in your fucking face.
Jones: [long pause] You know I would absolutely kill you if you ever did something like that, right?
On Monday, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier went on SportsCenter for a thought-provoking interview about the totally awesome! regrettable press-conference brawl that had gone down just hours beforehand. Though Cormier fired some heated barbs during the segment (“He’s a punk, he’s a liar, he’s a whole bunch of things he shouldn’t be proud about being”), Jones decided to do the interview as his Drowsy Autistic Guy character, which could still use some workshopping, honestly.
It turns out that the real heat came after the segment was officially over. In this incredibly uncomfortable footage (via MMAJunkie), Jones asks Cormier, “Hey pussy, are you still there?”, which leads Cormier to marvel at how fake Jones is, and how he can turn into a completely different person when the cameras are off. Then it gets really good:
Cormier: You are the fucking scum of the earth, you are a terrible human being, but you can sure turn it on, huh?
Jones: Thank you.
Cormier: Gaahh, fuck. I wish they would let me next door so I can spit in your fucking face.
Jones: [long pause] You know I would absolutely kill you if you ever did something like that, right?
Cormier: You could never kill me.
Jones: Oh, I bet you I could.
Cormier: Then you should try, Jon. You really should try, Jon.
Jones: I will literally kill you if you spit in my face.
Jones: I’m not saying I would fight you. I said I would kill you if you do some silly shit like that.
Cormier: So Jon, do you think I’m just going to sit there and let you kill me, Jon? I mean really.
At that point, a producer comes by to break up the fun, and the question remains unanswered. Anyway, we’d like to thank Jon and Daniel once again for giving us such a great storyline this week. Also, this screencap:
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier did MMA no favors by getting into a fight at UFC 178 media day, according to UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
The sports world has been buzzing all week about the brief skirmish in the MGM Grand lobby in Las Vegas on Monday betwe…
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier did MMA no favors by getting into a fight at UFC 178 media day, according to UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
The sports world has been buzzing all week about the brief skirmish in the MGM Grand lobby in Las Vegas on Monday between the light heavyweight champ and the former Olympian. A general consensus is to sweep the entire incident under the rug and enjoy all of the excitement and extra attention the pre-fight drama has created.
But things aren’t always so black and white for MMA, a babe sport still seeking acceptance.
Rogan believes the incident will have strong repercussions and paint the UFC in a negative light. The same old farts shaking their wrinkly fingers at the world’s fastest growing sport now have ammunition to continue to paint MMA as exceptionally violent and unprofessional.
“It was ridiculous,” Rogan said on the Joe Rogan Experiencepodcast. “This can’t happen. You can’t do that. This is real bad for the sport. It’s real bad for public perception. It’s a weapon to be used against MMA. It’s unfortunate.”
Jones inadvertently poured gasoline on an already simmering fire by putting his forehead into Cormier’s face during the staredown for their upcoming light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 178. Cormier immediately responded by shoving Jones in the neck.
Things quickly escalated into a melee unlike anything ever seen in the UFC as Jones stormed forward throwing punches at the top contender. UFC and security personnel made every attempt to separate the fighters, and the fight ended up in a huge dog pile on the lobby floor.
Intense staredowns and verbal garbage spouted back and forth between fighters is typical in these kinds of events. However, it’s rare to see a pair of professional athletes as high up on the food chain as Jones and Cormier failing to contain themselves before a fight.
“I think it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous and some of it’s gamesmanship, but it’s just so bad for the image of the sport,” Rogan continued, adding:
It’s pretty rare [that this happens], but that’s a high-profile fight. Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate got head-to-head in each other’s faces, and it was pretty hot right? But they were professional about it. They didn’t do anything about it. These guys were not professional. You can’t do that. You can’t grab each other and f——g slap.
Gaining a mental edge over an opponent is one of the most important aspects of fighting. Staredowns during weigh-ins and press conferences basically turn into psychological games for fighters looking to get a feel for their opponent.
Both fighters are typically filled with adrenaline, but they are expected to contain the excitement and save everything for the fight. Two athletes agreeing on a certain date to show up and compete against one another in a combative situation is what separates MMA from street fighting.
The incident between Jones and Cormier blurs the lines of that concept.
People who are already fans of MMA are more forgiving. The entire ordeal has garnered tons of media attention and likely turned a big fight into one of the most anticipated title bouts in UFC history.
Sadly, it does little to convince skeptics that MMA deserves a permanent place in the sports world. UFC President Dana White and company have been trying for years to break the ignorant belief that fighters are nothing more than street thugs competing in a human cockfighting circle. There is no wiggle room for mistakes for a sport under the microscope.
Rogan calls the incident a “street fight,” nothing more or less:
The importance of that not happening is huge. It’s huge. It’s just such a negative connotation attached to what that is, just violence. The difference between that kind of violence and the violence of a sport is that the violence of a sport, everyone is agreeing with that scenario. You’re agreeing to train for X amount of weeks for X amount of rounds. You’re going to fight this guy, he weighs what you weigh.
Everybody prepares, you meet at this day and you compete. It’s a very dangerous form of competition, and yes, it is fighting as a competition, but it’s not violence the same way that that is. That’s a street fight. That’s a world champion mixed martial arts fighter and an Olympic wrestler, and they’re street fighting. That’s bad for everybody. That’s bad for wrestling. That’s bad for MMA. That’s bad for sports.
Jones and Cormier will settle things once and for all when they step into the cage on September 27 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Rogan admits that a part of him enjoyed the scuffle like most MMA fans. It’s tough not to be excited about a pair of undefeated fighters vying for a world title, especially when there is a long-winded feud serving as a backdrop story.
However, there is still a level of professionalism that must be upheld by every athlete.
“Part of me gets bummed out when I see s–t like that, but part of me is like, ‘Look, they’re going to fight eventually, anyway. So they fought a little here. Get a little taste,’” said Rogan.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
Jon Jones would rather use the term “instinctual” instead of “dirty” when discussing eye gouging accusations.
