Tag: UFC 151

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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UFC 151 Aftermath (?): Jones Opens As -475 Favorite Over Machida While His Peers Tear Him a New One


(Suddenly, the decision to sponsor this guy seems like not so great of an idea.) 

Boy oh boy, have the events of this afternoon trapped everyone in a glass case of emotion or what? We’re going to forgo the typical “aftermath” aspect of this…aftermath, because suffice it to say, you are already aware of what has gone down. Looking ahead, it appears Jon Jones will be facing Lyoto Machida (again) at UFC 152 in Toronto (again). It also appears that all of the claims that “Lyoto TOTALLY won a round against Bones, you guys” — as if he, you know, didn’t get sliced open and choked unconscious shortly thereafter — have had some effect on the bookies. At least for now.

BestFightOdds currently has Jones listed between -475 and -485 for his rematch with “The Dragon,” which is actually not as bad (for Machida, at least) as the -600 Jones was listed at when these two first squared off. Who knows how far that number will sway in the next few weeks, but we’re guessing it will only increase in Jones’ favor as time passes.

But that’s not the story here. The real story is that, due to the cancellation of UFC 151, a lot of fighters are getting royally screwed. Sure, the UFC could reimburse them with their show money (as if they’re not losing a shitload of it already), but these fighters rely on sponsorship money to truly put them in the green. That money has seemingly dissapeared, and man are they pissed about it. After all, when you only fight a few times a year (at best) for next-to-nothing, missing a fight can have serious financial consequences. And the poor saps who will now be missing another paycheck are letting Jones have it on Twitter.

The best responses are after the jump. 


(Suddenly, the decision to sponsor this guy seems like not so great of an idea.) 

Boy oh boy, have the events of this afternoon trapped everyone in a glass case of emotion or what? We’re going to forgo the typical “aftermath” aspect of this…aftermath, because suffice it to say, you are already aware of what has gone down. Looking ahead, it appears Jon Jones will be facing Lyoto Machida (again) at UFC 152 in Toronto (again). It also appears that all of the claims that “Lyoto TOTALLY won a round against Bones, you guys” — as if he, you know, didn’t get sliced open and choked unconscious shortly thereafter — have had some effect on the bookies. At least for now.

BestFightOdds currently has Jones listed between -475 and -485 for his rematch with “The Dragon,” which is actually not as bad (for Machida, at least) as the -600 Jones was listed at when these two first squared off. Who knows how far that number will sway in the next few weeks, but we’re guessing it will only increase in Jones’ favor as time passes.

But that’s not the story here. The real story is that, due to the cancellation of UFC 151, a lot of fighters are getting royally screwed. Sure, the UFC could reimburse them with their show money (as if they’re not losing a shitload of it already), but these fighters rely on sponsorship money to truly put them in the green. That money has seemingly dissapeared, and man are they pissed about it. After all, when you only fight a few times a year (at best) for next-to-nothing, missing a fight can have serious financial consequences. And the poor saps who will now be missing another paycheck are letting Jones have it on Twitter.

Here are just a few reactions.

Michael Bisping: “Jones said he’s not fighting chael on 8 days notice. I did. …. Just sayin”

Did I just become a Bisping fan?! Jesus, I don’t even know what is real anymore.

Jeff Houghland: @JonnyBones Can I at least get one of your new Nike T-shirts? I’ll give it to my kid since I won’t have any money for her school clothes.

Kyle Noke: Im no longer fighting. the whole @ufc 151 card is cancelled. Sorry to all fans who bought flight, hotel, and fight tickets.#heartbroken

Charlie Brenneman: Me n @Rick_Story took a fight on 24 hrs norice!! Champ what?!?!@ufc

@JonnyBones u can send my check to PO box 198. EH NJ. Rent is due the first, so preferably by then. Thanks. @ufc

Joe Rogan: I am completely bewildered that Jon Jones didn’t accept the fight with Chael Sonnen. Never saw that coming in a million years. Now the entire UFC card is scrapped because Jones didn’t accept a fight with a 185lb’er who is completely out of shape. WOW. Just wow.

It should be known that due to UFC 151′s cancellation, Rogan’s show at the Mandalay Bay events center planned for that weekend was also cancelled.

Josh Barnett: If I was in Jones’ shoes I’d have said “Bring me the contract and I’ll bring you his head.”. To me, the scenario was far in Jones’ favor

Perhaps the most scathing tweets sent were those of TUF Live winner Michael Chiesa. You remember him, right?

@JonnyBones is a fraud. He’s all about his $$ but he won’t take a fight with @sonnench who would bring in WAY more $$? He’s scared, period.

99.999% of @ufc fighters will be “company men” and help our organization if needed. @sonnench is a company man,@JonnyBones is selfish.

Max Holloway: Something doesnt make sense Jones said he doesnt wanna fight machida cause he dont wanna be a broke fighter. Now hes not getting paid at all.

Vinny Magalhaes: How to piss Dana White off #BonesKnows

Wait a minute, as I’m writing this, Luke Thomas just tweeted the following:

Under NAC 467.259, the UFC seems to be obligated to reimburse all of those fighters under their bout agreements…

Well, that’s good to know. I’m going to let this stew over a bevy of beverages. Until tomorrow, Potato Nation…

–J. Jones

UFC 151: Chael Sonnen Gave 30-Minute Window to Fight Jon Jones for Free

While UFC president Dana White made the blockbuster announcement that UFC 151 would be cancelled due to Dan Henderson being injured and Jon Jones turning down a fight with Chael Sonnen, “The American Gangster” made a last ditch effort to save the event…

While UFC president Dana White made the blockbuster announcement that UFC 151 would be cancelled due to Dan Henderson being injured and Jon Jones turning down a fight with Chael Sonnen, “The American Gangster” made a last ditch effort to save the event. 

With the ongoing Twitter war between the UFC light heavyweight champion and Sonnen, it’s no surprise Chael took to the social media platform to give “Bones” one more opportunity to fight him: 

 

30 min to cement your legacy. Champ or Coward? I make a lot more than you do… Show up in 8 days I’ll give you my purse.

— chael sonnen (@sonnench) August 23, 2012

 

During Thursday’s impromptu press conference, White explained that Sonnen was the only fighter willing to step up and fight Jones on eight days’ notice, but Jones declined, partially due to his head coach Greg Jackson’s influence. 

Living up to his word, 30 minutes later, Chael simply tweeted:

 

Times up

— chael sonnen (@sonnench) August 23, 2012

 

White was extremely critical of both Jackson and Jones for turning down the fight, saying Jackson is a “f***ing sport killer” and that Jones is “the first champion to ever turn down a match. That’s how Jones will be viewed.” 

Jones has not been on his Twitter page since yesterday evening and has not put out a statement through his camp regarding the event cancellation. 

However, Jackson has already given an interview responding to White, indicating that he simply gave Jones his opinion and “I didn’t know they had it all riding on one fight.” 

Is there anyone out there that thinks Jones made the right decision by turning down the fight with Sonnen?

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UFC 151 Cancellation Proves the UFC Needs to Run Less Events

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from today’s big news that UFC 151 was canceled due to an injury to Dan Henderson, it’s this: The promotion has to run fewer events.With each passing year, the UFC has scheduled more and more events. In the old days&md…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from today’s big news that UFC 151 was canceled due to an injury to Dan Henderson, it’s this: The promotion has to run fewer events.

With each passing year, the UFC has scheduled more and more events. In the old days—by which I mean just a few years ago—you’d perhaps see one pay per view a month, with three or four free events per year on Spike.

Nowadays, it’s much different. Between UFC pay per views and the free events televised on Fuel, FX and FOX, there are sometimes months with fight events scheduled two or three weeks in a row. Toss in the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce events, and it’s simply fight overload.

It’s obviously a bad deal for the fans. There aren’t a lot of people with the kind of disposable income that allows them to spend $120 a month or more on pay per view events. It forces you to make a decision, to choose which event you want to spend your money on, and that means one event or the other is going to take a hit. It’s inevitable. 

It also means fans are simply overloaded with fights. Between the pay per view, television broadcasts and Facebook fights, the UFC is asking their fans to spend 5-8 hours of their day in front of the computer or the television, and they’re asking them to do it multiple times per month. For the hardcore fan, this is the perfect scenario. They’re going to watch the fights, and they’re going to love every second of it.

But for the casual fan, it’s simply too much. You can’t ask them to dedicate that much of their time watching fights that, for them, may not hold much intrigue.

But the most important drawback to inundating your schedule with fight cards is the hit it makes on your talent pool.

The UFC is obviously suffering from an injury crisis. You can blame it on the health care policy Zuffa instituted over a year ago if you want, and I wouldn’t argue with you if you did. Injuries are obviously going to happen and happen at a breakneck pace, which means you need a deep talent pool to draw from when seeking replacements for those injured fighters.

When you’re running multiple cards per month, that pool is going to be severely depleted. Instead of a decent selection of name fighters to take the place of the injured, you’re forced to go with the best available. That’s why Chael Sonnen was asked to step in against Jon Jones in the first place; he’d never get that opportunity if Zuffa didn’t require a last-ditch effort to save UFC 151 because he hasn’t earned it. But he was the only option.

I love watching fights. I’d never be in the position I’m in today, writing about this sport on a full-time basis, if I hadn’t fallen in love with fighting a long time ago. I’m one of those dudes who will watch any kind of fight he can get his hands on; I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve woken up in the middle of the night to watch a live stream of a foreign fight card. 

But even though I love watching fights, I still recognize that we’re being overwhelmed with content from the UFC, and it’s causing major issues. I’m hoping that the cancelation of UFC 151 forces the UFC to take a step back and analyze their schedule, to put a rein on things, before it gets too far out of control.

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