“The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, joined the ranks of Todd Duffee and Duane “Bang” Ludwig Saturday night in Toronto when he came into UFC 140 and laid out Mark “The Machine” Hominick with a brutal right hand followed by some serious but brief ground…
“The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, joined the ranks of Todd Duffee and Duane “Bang” Ludwig Saturday night in Toronto when he came into UFC 140 and laid out Mark “The Machine” Hominick with a brutal right hand followed by some serious but brief ground-and-pound for good measure.
However, the seven-second finish didn’t give us the answer to some of the questions we still have for Mr. Jung, and those questions cannot go unanswered for much longer.
So, in a format that hopefully keeps you with us longer than Hominick vs. Jung lasted, here now are five questions we still have for the man known as “The Korean Zombie.”
At 24 years of age, Jon Jones has already made a name for himself as being one of the best in the light heavyweight division.Being so young, he has a lot of growth and a lot more big fights ahead of him. At the same time, the sport of MMA is one that g…
At 24 years of age, Jon Jones has already made a name for himself as being one of the best in the light heavyweight division.
Being so young, he has a lot of growth and a lot more big fights ahead of him. At the same time, the sport of MMA is one that grows over time, and with new fighters coming in and new styles being utilized, one must grow with the sport to be successful.
For Jones, he has done just that in his short time in the sport, using his unorthodox style and ability to throw world-class guys off their game plan.
He is well on his way to becoming an all-time great, but there are a few things that he still has to do.
Luckily, he has all the time in the world to prepare and do these things the right way and have his name mentioned in the same breath as Randy Couture, Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell.
With UFC 140 now in the books and Jon Jones defending his UFC belt for the second time, it’s been established that Jones is for real. Jones answered his biggest question, “How does he react after getting hit?” and showed that he can come back from some…
With UFC 140 now in the books and Jon Jones defending his UFC belt for the second time, it’s been established that Jones is for real. Jones answered his biggest question, “How does he react after getting hit?” and showed that he can come back from some adversity.
The only question that remains now is not if he is for real in the cage. He has adequately proven himself to any of his detractors. It now becomes a question of whether he can become MMA‘s biggest draw.
The UFC certainly needs him to be. The promotion has grown to the point where it doesn’t need a huge name to sell out arenas, but the bigger draws are starting to get older (Silva), are injured (GSP) or are dangerously close to being irrelevant or retired (Lesnar).
The odd thing about his meteoric rise through the ranks has been his decline in popularity. Whether the gripes about his personality are true, the consensus has become that Jones is a fake.
While it’s hard for us, the fans, to truly judge whether someone is genuine, the perception has certainly become the reality and his reputation has taken a hit.
Perhaps in more than any sport, personality matters in MMA.
There’s no helmet to wear, no team to hide behind, you are your own brand.
While Jones’ confidence and personality may hinder his reputation now, there will be a point when it simply doesn’t matter. If sports has taught us one thing, winning conquers all flaws.
Example No. 1—Michael Jordan
Perhaps the most marketable athlete in sports history was Michael Jordan. There are many accounts of Jordan’s vindictive and bristly personality.
If Jordan had been an MMA fighter, chances are he wouldn’t have been a fan favorite. He would have been cocky, smug and probably wouldn’t have been the best guy to train with. He was merciless with his teammates in the NBA, always in the pursuit of perfection.
So why was Jordan so marketable?
He won.
It didn’t matter that in reality he was a tough person to play with and not the most likeable person; it mattered that he was the best winner since Magic and Bird.
When Jordan was playing on TV or if he was coming to your local arena, you were going to be watching. Not because he was a likeable guy, but because you were about to witness greatness.
Jones is reaching that level. Love him or hate him, you have to watch because you are witnessing greatness.
Example No. 2—Tim Tebow
Perhaps a more recent comparison to Jones would be Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. This comparison has been made before but it holds a lot of validity when wondering if Jones can become MMA’s biggest draw.
Tebow has also fallen under criticism because of his personality. The difference between Tebow and Jones is talent. Tebow is unconventional and doesn’t have the traditional skill set of typical NFL quarterbacks, and we don’t know if he will have staying power in the league despite a 7-1 record as a starter this year.
What we do know for sure is about Tebow is he is currently the NFL’s biggest draw.
If ESPN were to have a Broncos game on “Monday Night Football,” it would undoubtedly be the highest rated of the year.
Tebow has his fair share of detractors, from his personality to his unconventional skill set, and many people are just waiting to see Tebow fail.
Either way they are tuning in.
Jones is in a very similar situation. While his talent is far more proven than Tebow’s. He still remains disliked by a large portion of fans.
Eventually Jones’ winning ways will force people to tune in.
What Tebow has taught us is that winning is paramount when it comes to sparking up the debate and being the big draw.
The only man to be more polarizing than Jon Jones, is the pound-for-pound king of MMA himself, Anderson Silva. “The Spider” is a fighter that is either loved or hated.
Those that love him, love the way he fights in the octagon and appreciates his impressive undefeated run in the UFC.
Those that dislike him point to his lack of respect for some opponents and his cockiness. Silva is another fighter with a polarizing personality.
He’s also one of the biggest draws in the UFC.
Silva fighting anyone is huge news, and Chael Sonnen has become one of the most popular fighters in the UFC simply because he almost beat Silva. Simply put, Silva sells.
It won’t be long until Jones reaches Silva status. Regardless of how many people don’t like his personality they’ll have to tune in because they will be witnessing greatness.
So, can Jon Jones become MMA’s biggest draw?
Absolutely.
Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 140. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the Dec. 10 fight card, including results and post-fight analysis.
It is the fight that everyone keeps talking about and the question that Dana White gets at every post-fight press conference that has either Jon Jones or Anderson Silva on it.Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva isn’t on White’s radar anytime soon, but it’s a …
It is the fight that everyone keeps talking about and the question that Dana White gets at every post-fight press conference that has either Jon Jones or Anderson Silva on it.
Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva isn’t on White’s radar anytime soon, but it’s a fight that intrigues the minds of everyone who follows MMA.
Jones has been on a tear since coming to the UFC and quickly climbed the ranks to become the light-heavyweight champion.
Silva has shown similar dominance in the middleweight division, becoming champion in October 2006 and hasn’t let go.
Who would win in a fight between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world?
After what many called the event of the year, UFC 140 featured some of the best fighters in the sport today, including UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, former heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, as well as former cham…
After what many called the event of the year, UFC 140 featured some of the best fighters in the sport today, including UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, former heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, as well as former champion Tito Ortiz.
Not all emerged victorious, but the ones that did came through and got impressive stoppages over their opponents.
As the winners move on and forward in the division and up the pound-for-pound rankings, the losers will have to work their way back up the ladder, and for some, retire.
Invincible is a term rarely used in the UFC. Only a handful of fighters in the world are even considered to posses invincibility but even fewer men are able to prove themselves worthy of the title.Light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones moved one step clo…
Invincible is a term rarely used in the UFC. Only a handful of fighters in the world are even considered to posses invincibility but even fewer men are able to prove themselves worthy of the title.
Light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones moved one step closer to invincibility on Saturday in his second title defense against former champion Lyoto Machida. After just two rounds Jones managed to put Machida to sleep with a nasty standing guillotine choke thus improving his record to 9-1 in the UFC. In his last six fights, Jones has run through top flight opponents including three former champions in Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
Jones’ next opponent will likely come out of a Jan. 28 matchup between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis that is scheduled for UFC on FOX 2. Both men are talented wrestlers and would pose a realistic threat to Jones’ throne, but there is only one true challenger capable of ending Jones’ reign with skills almost identical to the champion.
Long before Jones was even competing in the sport, middleweight king Anderson Silva was already creating his legacy in the UFC. The pound-for-pound best fighter in the world has long been considered invincible in his five-year reign over the middleweight division. In 2009 Silva showcased his dominance with a stunning first-round knockout of Forrest Griffin in his first appearance at light-heavyweight. Since then Silva has not attempted to fight again at light-heavyweight, but a showdown with Jones would certainly be considered a mega-fight for the UFC.
Silva and Jones are almost mirror images of each other. Both men are flashy strikers with long arms and legs. Silva’s Muay Thai is second to none and some of the moves he’s pulled off in the cage look like they came from a scene in The Matrix or a Kung Fu film. Jones’ striking style is similar in the sense that he uses his long reach and wild striking to surprise opponents while still maintaining a safe distance. Jones also possesses outstanding wrestling ability. If I had to guess who would win this fight right now I wouldn’t be able to give a confident answer. I do know however that Silva would present the biggest challenge to Jones, and fans would be able to witness one of the greatest fights in UFC history. Until Dana White and the UFC make this fight happen I can’t see Jones losing to anyone in the near future.
With