Tag: MMA

UFC 151: Is Jon Jones the Ultimate ‘Flip-Flopper’ for Telling the UFC No?

Jon Jones was on the fast track to become the biggest star in MMA. He had perhaps the best year of any fighter in 2011 by defeating three former champions and an Ultimate Fighter winner. Not only did Jones beat them but did so convincingly. 2012 hasn’t…

Jon Jones was on the fast track to become the biggest star in MMA. He had perhaps the best year of any fighter in 2011 by defeating three former champions and an Ultimate Fighter winner. Not only did Jones beat them but did so convincingly.

2012 hasn’t been as kind to the UFC champion. Jones saw his image with the fans come under intense scrutiny during the lead up to his showdown with Rashad Evans prior to UFC 145, and saw it stained after crashing his customized Bentley after drinking.

Now Jones has become perhaps the most hated man in MMA after refusing to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice following the injury to Dan Henderson. Not only has Jones made almost every fan upset, he’s also damaged his relationship with his boss.

Jones has made a PR nightmare in the past for removing himself from the initial fight with Evans for a surgery on which he later changed his mind. Just as the past came to haunt Jones in his rivalry with his former teammate, so too now will it with his recent decision making.

An interview Jones did prior to meeting Evans at UFC 145 paints a very different picture of the champion from when it seemed to be nothing but smooth sailing ahead for Jones.

The champion was asked about his sponsorship with the UFC’s clothing line and how it was a great step forward for Jones.

“We came up with a strategy to keep it clean and be sponsored by the UFC itself. I’m glad the UFC wanted to work with me as well, and I think that they trust that I’ll never make them look bad. You never have to worry about me with a DWI (driving while under the influence) or doing something crazy,” Jones explained. (MMAWeekly)

So this close-up is considered keeping a clean image for yourself and not making the UFC look bad?

Getting pulled over for being intoxicated is something that happens to thousands of people every day in the USA. It’s become so ingrained into our culture it’s almost become something we just say in passing.

Jones didn’t make the UFC as a promotion or its brand look bad by crashing his car but definitely failed to protect the promotion’s image today by refusing to step in and help the company out after the UFC has invested millions of dollars into promoting him as “the next big thing.”

Once again Jones’ past comments make him look bad.

“I think I’m a good company guy. The UFC asks me to do anything and I always do it, and I never tell them no for anything. I’ve had to do more marketing than any other fighter because I say no to absolutely nothing. I don’t think most champs are like that.” (MMAWeekly)

In the same article, Jones even shares how the UFC structured the deal to help him out by giving him the potential to realize his dream of being sponsored by Nike.

“I think they realized I’m a company guy and they decided to sponsor me,” said Jones. “They put in the deal that if any mainstream companies come after this win that they will let me go, and I think that’s awesome.” (MMAWeekly)

Helping a single fighter grow and leaving the door open for Jones to drop the sponsor was very awesome of the UFC to do. And how does the UFC get thanked for their generosity?

By Jones becoming the ultimate flip-flopper in MMA by saying no to the UFC and in the process tarnishing the company’s image. How does it look to the general public that one of their champions doesn’t want to fight anyone that will damage his “brand?”

Apparently Jones has no issues with saying no when it’s beneficial to him because prior to this, the champion came out to say he didn’t want to fight Lyoto Machida because of the low PPV numbers from their first encounter.

Did Georges St. Pierre say no when the UFC matched him up against Dan Hardy or Matt Hughes for the third time? Did BJ Penn say no when he faced Diego Sanchez after only two wins in the division (with one being a split decision)? Did Junior dos Santos tell the UFC no when Frank Mir was inserted into the title picture with a questionable record?

The answer to all of those is “no.” Sure champions have discredited their challengers as not being worthy, but in the end they took the fight. Those men are considered “true fighters” and were/are willing to defend their hard earned titles to anyone who dared to try and take it away.

When the UFC came calling to ask Jones to do a favor for them after all they had done for the champion they were met with refusal. I’m not sure what Jones considers being a “company man” to be nowadays, but if this is it, Nick Diaz should’ve won “Employee of the Month” last October.

It’s one thing to look out for your own personal interests, but don’t attempt to feed everyone a bunch of lines to make yourself appear to be the knight in shining armor. It appears that the anti-Jones crowd just got a lot louder with the addition of Dana White.

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6 Questions We Would Love to Ask Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz has had a rocky road since rejoining the UFC, forced out of action after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his interim championship bout loss to Carlos Condit.Initially headed to retirement, Diaz has changed his tune in rec…

Nick Diaz has had a rocky road since rejoining the UFC, forced out of action after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his interim championship bout loss to Carlos Condit.

Initially headed to retirement, Diaz has changed his tune in recent weeks, hinting at a possible return as soon as his suspension is up.

One of the most outspoken and interesting characters in MMA, there are a ton of questions we’d love to ask the former Strikeforce champ.

Here are six questions we’d really love to hear Diaz’s answers to.

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Jones vs. Sonnen: Jon Jones Has Become the Most Hated Man in the UFC

Jon Jones has irrevocably damaged his reputation with the UFC and, more importantly, with fans. In fact, his recent actions have made him the most hated man in the entire UFC roster. The deluge of hate stems from the cancellation of UFC 151. UFC p…

Jon Jones has irrevocably damaged his reputation with the UFC and, more importantly, with fans. In fact, his recent actions have made him the most hated man in the entire UFC roster. 

The deluge of hate stems from the cancellation of UFC 151. UFC president Dana White was forced to scrap the event when Jones, the current UFC light heavyweight champion, refused to defend his title against Chael Sonnen on eight days notice when the previous challenger, Dan Henderson, withdrew due to injury. 

Backlash, hate, and overall miasma from the MMA community has never been this palpable—not even when Nick Diaz vs. Georges St.Pierre was canceled, when Anderson Silva danced around Demian Maia for nearly a half hour, or when Alistair Overeem failed his drug test.

After all, how many of these fighters had a shirt made to mock them only hours after their most notable faux pas? And how many were buried by a rival on ESPN that same day?

Jones PR team should be concerned, especially since this hate wasn’t just a result of “ducking” Chael Sonnen but has been building up over a long period of time. 

Many fans never really bought into Jones’ shtick of being the humble, pious Christian. They believed that it was an act and that Jones was actually cocky, egotistical, and arrogant—and Jones kept giving evidence to their claims. 

First Jones dissed toy UFC belts, saying that children obtaining replica belts wasn’t fair since they didn’t have to work for them. Then he was apprehended for a DWI days after stating that the UFC and potential sponsors never had to worry about him doing something like that.

Then this UFC 151 scenario took the churning pot of Jones haterade and made it completely boil over.  

“The ironing is delicious,” as Bart Simpson would say. In trying to preserve the power of his brand and his image by not taking what he apparently perceived to be an unnecessary risk, he ended up destroying his brand, his image, and likely destroyed any chances at an amicable relationship with his employers. 

Jones’ reputation will forever be marred by not accepting the fight with Sonnen. He’ll be called a paper champion, a coward, a ducker and worse before his career is through.

 

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Jon Jones: How Two Letters Completely Destroyed His ‘Brand’

No. It’s a term millions of parents hear every day from their children when asking them to do a number of things they don’t want to do. “Make your bed little Jimmy,” to which an average child will reply with, “No, I don’t want to.” It’s a daily struggl…

No. It’s a term millions of parents hear every day from their children when asking them to do a number of things they don’t want to do.

“Make your bed little Jimmy,” to which an average child will reply with, “No, I don’t want to.”

It’s a daily struggle, having to maneuver around those two simple letters. How do you get someone to do something they don’t want to do, but should do? Usually kids have something that motivates them into doing chores or other boring activities.

In the case of UFC champion Jon Jones, it’s his “brand.”

The term “brand” has become a common phrase used in today’s money-minded UFC. A fighter’s “brand” can include a number of things from their t-shirts to their image. Prior to Jones, a recent example of a fighter protecting their brand was Rashad Evans.

Evans earned a title shot, but chose to sit on the sidelines to allow Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to recover from knee injuries. The time off was likely torture for the competitor and ultimately cost him dearly, as he himself was forced out of the title match with a knee injury.

The former UFC champion received a great deal of backlash from fans about protecting his brand, and it certainly did little to change fans’ perception of Evans being cocky and selfish.

Now those words, among others, will be used to describe the current champion Jones. After turning down a fight against Chael Sonnen — who has yet to step into a gym since the loss to Anderson Silva — because it would be a mistake, Jones thought he was protecting his brand.

The heat from fans about a champion turning down a challenger will likely create a stigma about Jones for the rest of his career. The man who happily accepted the chance to win the title on short notice, became sponsored by the UFC itself, and openly said he would never say “no” to the UFC, is now public enemy number one.

I think I’m a good company guy. The UFC asks me to do anything and I always do it, and I never tell them no for anything. I’ve had to do more marketing than any other fighter because I say no to absolutely nothing. I don’t think most champs are like that.(MMAWeekly)

Ironically enough, the paragraph before this quote is Jones talking about keeping his “brand” clean and the UFC not having to worry about him making them look bad by getting a DWI or “anything like that.”

How is that “brand” doing now?

Not only has it been dragged through the mud a million times today and likely will be many more times throughout the rest of his career, but Jones gained virtually nothing by saying no to the UFC.

Before saying no to Sonnen, Jones openly came out against fighting the No. 1 contender after Dan Henderson, Lyoto Machida.

I don’t want to fight Lyoto Machida…He was my lowest pay-per-view draw of last year.No one wants to see me fight Lyoto Machida. I don’t want to fight Lyoto again. Lyoto is high risk and low reward. (ESPN)

Although it isn’t official, Jones will now likely have to put his belt on the line at UFC 152 against Machida.

So Jones told the UFC no in order to “protect his brand” because he didn’t want to fight Sonnen, but now faces Machida, who also doesn’t do anything to promote the champion’s “brand.”

What exactly did Jones get out of this equation?

He avoids fighting a guy who isn’t in fighting shape, completely destroyed his entire public image and likely his reputation among his fellow fighters only to be put in the same situation he had with Sonnen.

So, congratulations should go to the UFC champion. He has totally lost any fanbase he may have had with the MMA world, possibly damaged his relationship with his precious “dream sponsorship” with Nike, lost his company millions of dollars, and also cost thousands of dollars to the other fighters on the UFC 151 card.

That “brand” must be worth a lot these days.

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UFC 151: Jon Jones Deserves Blame, but so Does the UFC

If you’re a Jon Jones fan today then you are definitely in the minority. With news about the UFC 151 debacle stemming from the champion’s refusal to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice, Jones effectively became public enemy No. 1. But the one party in t…

If you’re a Jon Jones fan today then you are definitely in the minority. With news about the UFC 151 debacle stemming from the champion’s refusal to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice, Jones effectively became public enemy No. 1.

But the one party in this situation who seems to be getting a free pass is the UFC.

Although Jones certainly deserves his fair share of the blame and backlash, so too does the UFC and to a certain extent, matchmaker Joe Silva. There have been plenty of main-event fights that have fallen through or had to change due to injuries, but never before has an entire PPV fallen apart as a result.

It just goes to show you the UFC still has a lot to learn about promoting their big stars and not placing all the responsibility of carrying an entire card on one man’s shoulders. If the PPV had a worthy co-main event like the majority of events have, this cancellation wouldn’t need to take place.

The rest of the main-card lineup of fights are entertaining matchups, but none of the fighters have enough drawing power to help promote the event. It’s an issue that could’ve happened a lot sooner at UFC 145.

UFC 145 was built around the rivalry between Jones and former teammate Rashad Evans. While their rivalry certainly led to the roughly 700,000 buyrate, look at the rest of the lineup. Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills was put on as the co-main event despite a possible title eliminator bout, while Michael McDonald vs. Miguel Torres was relegated to nothing more than a main card filler.

Now fast forward to UFC 151 and look at the rest of the lineup that’s supposed to support Jones in promoting the event. A co-main event between Jake Ellenberger and Jay Hieron would likely be entertaining, but how do you sell that being the main event when Ellenberger is coming off a loss and Hieron is an injury replacement who is coming off a win against Romario da Silva?

Just because Jones is a rising star and one of the most recognizable figures in the sport today doesn’t mean he should be carrying the weight of an entire PPV. No single man should. If the UFC didn’t want to be put in this predicament, they should’ve built a worthy undercard for UFC 151 instead of booking it like a boxing card.

Jones certainly deserves the fan backlash for making a “business decision,” but so too does the UFC for not booking PPV-worthy fights.

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Jon Jones: Why Bones Is Entering Lose-Lose Situation vs. Lyoto Machida

Jon Jones has put himself in a no-win situation.After refusing to fight Chael Sonnen—a move that forced Dana White to cancel UFC 151 and shuffle the cards for the next venue in Toronto, Canada—Jones has drawn the ire of White, not to mentio…

Jon Jones has put himself in a no-win situation.

After refusing to fight Chael Sonnen—a move that forced Dana White to cancel UFC 151 and shuffle the cards for the next venue in Toronto, Canada—Jones has drawn the ire of White, not to mention a host of UFC fans.

According to the UFC:

 

White can’t just strip Jones of his title, though I’m betting the thought has crossed his mind a few times. Instead, he has moved the Jones vs. Machida 2 fight into UFC 152 (now 151). If Machida wins, though, White may just have the leverage he needs to pop what has become an irritating pimple on his behind. 

If Jones wins, he’ll become a true heel for the UFC, to borrow a term from the wrestling world. The only problem with that is that Nike—Jones’ newest sponsor—hasn’t traditionally been down with athletes who have a negative image. 

Jones had nothing to lose by fighting Sonnen, who is just coming off a loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 148. He is stronger and faster than Sonnen, but taking the fight would have allowed White and the UFC to cut their losses after Dan Henderson went down with a knee injury. 

Instead, Jones spurned the UFC when it needed him the most. 

Nike hasn’t yet spoken on the subject, but I don’t see how there’s any positive way to spin this story. The company’s image has always been about champions, winners and athletes that persevere. Jones’ decision to turn down a fight goes against that image, as far as I’m concerned. 

Jones has gotten himself into a lose-lose scenario. If he wins the fight, he’s even more under the skin of White and will become a demonized champ. If he loses the fight, his image will take an even bigger hit than it would’ve if he’d fought and lost to Sonnen. 

Machida needs to figure out a way to stay aggressive with his strikes while simultaneously avoiding Jones’ clutches for a decisive victory over the man that took his title back in December of 2011 at UFC 140. 

That would be sweet justice, as Jones would finally get what he deserves. 

 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78

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