Jon Jones’ recent and numerous faux paus have tarnished his image as a fighter. Are Nike execs now facepalming in the wake of Jones’ DWI and inept handling of his public relations?No—not by a long shot.While Jon Jones and Nike related parodies su…
Jon Jones’ recent and numerous faux paus have tarnished his image as a fighter. Are Nike execs now facepalming in the wake of Jones’ DWI and inept handling of his public relations?
No—not by a long shot.
While Jon Jones and Nike related parodies surfaced immediately after the UFC 151 debacle that resulted in the event’s cancellation, it matters not to the world’s most prestigious sports apparel company.
Nike isn’t in the PR business.
They shouldn’t care about Jones’ DWI. They shouldn’t care that Jon Jones wouldn’t risk his net worth to fight Chael Sonnen. They shouldn’t care that Jon Jones’ official response to the UFC 151 crisis came off as extremely arrogant. And they shouldn’t care that Jones recently issued a selfish statement to the Associated Press.
This is where critics interject with a tired line like “but it makes Nike look bad for one of their sponsored athletes to behave in such a manner,” albeit with about a dozen more exclamation points and with fewer words spelled correctly.
Apparently, Nike doesn’t think it’s all that bad or else they would’ve canned Jones as well as the dozens of other athletes who have done less-than-ideal things during the duration of their sponsorships.
Despite the occasional removal of a sponsorship, Nike really doesn’t care what happens—they’re getting people’s money regardless.
Want proof?
Nike makes (or simply brands if you’re a cynic) the uniforms for the NFL, an organization not known for the honorable reputation of its athletes.
Specifically, Nike sponsored convicted dog abuser Michael Vick in 2011. True, they did cancel Vick’s sponsorship in the immediate wake of the allegations against him, but ultimately Nike only spoke with their wallet.
Nike’s continued sponsorships of Ben Roethlisberger, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods amidst the sordid allegations against them all is further evidence that Jones isn’t the only athlete to come under fire while under the Nike umbrella.
However, Nike isn’t to be condemned for honoring these sponsorships. Not all athletes are paragons of virtue, after all.
Nike can spend sponsorship money however it wants—you’ll find no moralizing here.
But if you’re to tell me that Nike will regret sponsoring Jon Jones of all people when they’ve had plenty of other questionable characters representing their brand, you’re dead wrong.
Nike is in the business of dollar signs. They need athletes who either excel at their chosen sport or excel at selling merchandise (usually they’re one in the same but there are exceptions).
In the former respect, Nike has no choice but to sponsor Jones.
He’s the next legendary mixed martial arts fighter and Nike, by sponsoring Jones, has shown that they want to be along for the ride, DWI and PR naivete notwithstanding.
If Dana White wants to blame anyone for the cancellation of UFC 151, Jon Jones suggests he take a good look in the mirror.The light heavyweight champ has carried the brunt of the blame for the first-ever canceled event in UFC history.He was initially s…
If Dana White wants to blame anyone for the cancellation of UFC 151, Jon Jones suggests he take a good look in the mirror.
The light heavyweight champ has carried the brunt of the blame for the first-ever canceled event in UFC history.
He was initially slated to face Dan Henderson, but a knee injury forced the 42-year-old legend to pull out a week prior to the event.
Top middleweight contender Chael Sonnen offered to step up as a late replacement, but Jones opted against a change of opponent on such short notice.
With Jones turning down the fight, the UFC decided it was best to cancel the event entirely. A furious White put together a media conference call, where he lashed out against Jones for not taking the fight with Sonnen.
He called Jones’ decision “selfish and disgusting.” In mere minutes, Jones went from UFC poster boy to being the most hated man in MMA history.
About a week after the announcement, White sat down with Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight to talk about a moment he called one of his “all-time lows.” Helwani challenged White early in the interview by admitting he didn’t believe it was fair to pin the collapse of an entire fight card on Jones.
Surprisingly, White nodded his head in agreement.
“I agree with that. You’re right. This might be the first time I ever agree with you, and I agree with you. You’re absolutely right,” said White.
“Dan Henderson knew two weeks before the fight, two weeks before he told me he was injured. He knew, and had he given me that two weeks, like he should have, this fight might have happened.”
Despite a minor shift in his stance, White told Helwani that he has “no regrets” about the comments he made during the conference call. Along with Henderson, he still believes Jones is at fault for the cancellation of the event that left 20 other fighters out of work.
Are Jones and Henderson truly at fault, or is there something to be said about the UFC’s recent string of less-than-desirable fight cards?
White has always boasted that the one thing separating MMA from boxing was full fight cards. In MMA, fans can expect exciting, marquee matchups from top to bottom. Boxing typically delivers lackluster cards with a marquee main event as a cherry on top.
Jones believes the UFC gradually got away from putting on full fight cards, and it came back to bite them at UFC 151. The promotion put all its eggs into one basket, and when the main event fell through, there was nowhere to run.
I think in the future, this can make me and Dana even better off. For him to get out how he felt about me in that situation, it will help me look at things more business-oriented. A lot of good can come out of it. Fighters can learn the lesson of doing what’s best for themselves and not feeling like puppets. I think the UFC has learned a lesson of making sure they stay loyal to the fans and give them full cards.
If antics like those pulled by Jon Jones concerning UFC 151 become commonplace, the sport will die a sad, swift, unheralded death.As I wrote previously, Jones—as well as UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, to a lesser extent—has helpe…
If antics like those pulled by Jon Jones concerning UFC 151 become commonplace, the sport will die a sad, swift, unheralded death.
As I wrote previously, Jones—as well as UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, to a lesser extent—has helped usher in what I call the age of the superstar, where fighters cease being true fighters and instead become pseudo-businessmen and advertising/PR moguls.
This was made clear by the chicanery surrounding UFC 151. After Dan Henderson withdrew due to injury, Jones refused to fight the UFC’s appointed challenger, Chael Sonnen, on eight days’ notice. As a result, the pay-per-view—without a viable main event—was canceled by Dana White and Zuffa.
Jones’ defense of his actions was flimsy and poorly received. It centered around the fact that Jones wanted to protect his brand as a fighter; he wants to make his victories “look effortless” and “beautiful,” and that anything else would be a detriment to the Jon Jones name (and the Jon Jones wallet).
Unfortunately for Jones, MMA fans don’t care about the strength of an athlete’s brand or what sponsorships they have. MMA fans want to see fights—not athletes whining over risks vs. rewards and the minutiae of their contracts.
MMA started as a spectacle, not a sport. Thus, the men involved were fighters who were interested in beating people up and testing themselves, as opposed to their counterparts from other sports, who were primarily interested in endorsements and Wheaties boxes.
This former attitude from fighters helped make the MMA and the UFC popular—there was no prima donna B.S., just the best guys fighting the best guys with no (or comparatively few) questions asked.
This has changed. If a UFC champion won’t fight somebody, how can he really be called one of the toughest men on the planet?
Even Tank Abbott, a sub-.500 fighter who has long since retired, is more of a fighter—he even fought in a backyard just to get even with Scott Ferrozzo. Abbott’s words in a post-fight interview with Sherdog after his loss to Paul Buentello in 2006 sum up what the early days of the sport were about:
Giant pay-days is not what it’s about for me…I’ve never been in it for the money. I’ve never been in it for anything but the love of fighting. All the people that blow their trumpets, it’s because they are those kind of people. Where were they when, guess what? After they beat somebody up—Like Buentello, where was he after he hit me with a punch? Was he waiting for the cops to come pick him up and take him to jail? Guarantee he wouldn’t do it, I would.
Street fighting and illegal activities aside, Abbott was a true fighter. He’d fight anyone, anywhere, anytime, for practically any price—as would any of the fighters from the old guard. To them, fighting and genuine competition meant more than legalese and sponsorship money.
If Tank Abbott is too sordid and absurd for an example, how about Renzo Gracie?
After a career that saw Gracie fight numerous big names, people thought that he was retired. Alas, in April 2010, he came back to take on former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 112. Gracie hadn’t fought in three years and was promptly dominated in a TKO loss.
However, Gracie didn’t complain. In fact, his answer to a post-fight interview question about taking an easier fight before fighting Matt Hughes summarized the attitude of the old guard with elegant simplicity. “What kind of fighter would I be if I did that?” he said.
MMA has traded men like this for men who cower behind contracts and big-name sponsors—men who are in the sport not to test themselves but to try to amass as much fame and wealth as possible.
Bigger paydays are fine for fighters, but when money becomes the sole purpose of participating in MMA, the sport, as fans have known it since its inception, is compromised.
Jon Jones has pulled away the “fastest growing sports organization in the world” veneer that hid the disgusting inner workings of MMA; he’s shown that the soul of the sport is dying. It can only be saved if fighters remain fighters, and fights remain fights.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been derided as immature, arrogant and selfish for much of his career, especially since turning down a short-notice replacement fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 151 after Dan Henderson dropped out due to injury. But in a recent interview with the Associated Press, Jones sounded calm, collected and measured, especially in comparison to organization president Dana White‘s comments on the situation, as he spoke about what he’s learned. He also publicly criticized White for the first time, which probably won’t help his reputation among the fans who already despise him.
“I had to do what’s right for myself by turning down that fight, Dana had to do what was right for himself by putting the blame on everyone else except for himself,” Jones told Dan Gelston of the AP. “The lesson to be learned is, at the end of the day, you have to protect yourself and your family.”
Jones told the AP that he has not yet spoken with his boss about the comments, but appears to have had his eyes opened to how quickly UFC brass and fans can turn on him. “I think in the future, this can make me and Dana even better off,” Jones said. “For him to get out how he felt about me in that situation, it will help me look at things more business-oriented. A lot of good can come out of it. Fighters can learn the lesson of doing what’s best for themselves and not feeling like puppets. I think the UFC has learned a lesson of making sure they stay loyal to the fans and give them full cards.”
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been derided as immature, arrogant and selfish for much of his career, especially since turning down a short-notice replacement fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 151 after Dan Henderson dropped out due to injury. But in a recent interview with the Associated Press, Jones sounded calm, collected and measured, especially in comparison to organization president Dana White‘s comments on the situation, as he spoke about what he’s learned. He also publicly criticized White for the first time, which probably won’t help his reputation among the fans who already despise him.
“I had to do what’s right for myself by turning down that fight, Dana had to do what was right for himself by putting the blame on everyone else except for himself,” Jones told Dan Gelston of the AP. “The lesson to be learned is, at the end of the day, you have to protect yourself and your family.”
Jones told the AP that he has not yet spoken with his boss about the comments, but appears to have had his eyes opened to how quickly UFC brass and fans can turn on him. ”I think in the future, this can make me and Dana even better off,” Jones said. ”For him to get out how he felt about me in that situation, it will help me look at things more business-oriented. A lot of good can come out of it. Fighters can learn the lesson of doing what’s best for themselves and not feeling like puppets. I think the UFC has learned a lesson of making sure they stay loyal to the fans and give them full cards.”
That one of its biggest stars seems jaded with the UFC and comfortable criticizing them at the height of his young career, and that he had the power to turn down a fight, might signal the start of a new stage in the organization’s development. As the UFC has grown more successful and famous, so have fighters like Jones.
No one can say that Jones has not delivered in the ring for the UFC and its fans. He’s exciting, dominating and downright captivating to watch compete. He has also fought more frequently — and sometimes on little notice in order to help the UFC save events — than any other top challenger or champion in the past two years. Yet White has led a smear campaign that accuses Jones of everything from being a coward to an egomaniac.
Jones believes, correctly, that he’s done his job very well and earned what he has from the UFC and MMA. He also has the gall to manage his own career and not necessarily take bigger risks with his money and livelihood than is necessary just because the UFC asks him to.
Jones is at the top of his game and exercised what should have been considered a benign amount of the little power he has under his UFC contract. He was set to fight a challenger and with a week until the fight, the challenger pulled out. Jones agreed to fight someone different less than a month later at UFC 152.
Astoundingly, this sequence of events has made him a mini-pariah, on trial in the court of public opinion for murdering a UFC event. Jones told the AP, “I don’t owe anybody anything.” There’s no doubt many will continue to be aggravated by statements like that from Jones but they would have a hard time debating the quote that preceded it:
“People tell me, ‘You’re the champ, you’ve got to take the fight,’” he said. “Being the champ wasn’t given to me.”
Jon Jones is a blue-chip talent. He is a rapidly rising megastar who has already compiled an amazing anthology of highlight moves. Legends such as Quinton Jackson and Shogun Rua have been completely dismantled by the youngest champion of all-time.
Howe…
Jon Jones is a blue-chip talent. He is a rapidly rising megastar who has already compiled an amazing anthology of highlight moves. Legends such as Quinton Jackson and Shogun Rua have been completely dismantled by the youngest champion of all-time.
However, the most exciting MMA fighter on the planet is quickly becoming the least popular one. Despite his prodigious talent, he cannot overcome his youth.
His immaturity was once again exposed as he tried to defend himself for not accepting the now infamous non-fight with Chael Sonnen at the cancelled UFC 151.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, he befuddled fans with non sequiturs and misinformation that were certain to exacerbate his lack of popularity. The link for that interview is provided below.
The electric champ should not be lambasted for turning down a fight on eight days notice. It would have been noble if he had taken the contest, but he deserves an opportunity to properly prepare to defend his title. While a champion is obliged to defend his title, they should be given time to prepare for a different fighter. Contrary to Dana White‘s analysis, Jones is correct in that Chael and Henderson are much different opponents.
Dan has a powerful right hand, and Chael has limited power in his hands and is a southpaw. Sonnen prefers to attack with power double-leg takedowns, while Dan prefers the clinch. “Hendo” will often allow an opponent to get back to their feet where Sonnen loves to smother from top guard position. J.J.’s refusal of the fight may be forgiven, it did seem hypocritical though as Jones had posted this message on his Twitter account in May of 2012.
Jones further cited a reason for not taking the fight that seemed curious at best. He believed that Chael is not deserving of a fight with him and he, Jones, would not be anyone’s “jackpot.” Being a belt-holder automatically makes one a “jackpot” and that is an inherent responsibility of being a champion. One cannot refuse a fight for spite.
The champion, by definition, is one who defends the belt against whomever the organization chooses. It is, after all, the UFC belt and not the “Jon Jones ” title. Jon should not be hubristic enough to refuse a fight because he feels the challenger beneath him. The esteem of the title is the “jackpot”- not Jones. This is especially true if this opponent is a last-ditch effort to save the show and no other viable option exists.
An ensuing argument seemed to contradict itself when he rated Chael as a dangerous top-five fighter but still deemed him unworthy. Jones went on to discredit Sonnen’s UFC record (6-5) and falsely stated that Chael lost his last two fights.
Chael has not lost consecutive fights since 2004. In fact, he is 5-2 in his last seven fights, and in the two fights he lost against Anderson Silva, he won five of seven rounds. On one hand, he won’t fight him because he is unworthy yet he regards him as a top-five fighter. Sound like convincing logic to you or more like the petulant rationalization of a spoiled brat?
With eight days to go, the promotion is warranted some flexibility in finding an opponent. The importance of filling the main event slot should be paramount over Jones’ personal indignity to facing someone whom he deems to have not merited an opportunity to compete for his “jackpot.”
Admittedly, Jon is correct in that Chael is not a ranked 205 fighter, as his recent fights have been at 185, but this speaks to the necessity of the situation. This would not have been a precedent. For example, Frankie Edgar’s first fight at 145 is for a title, also due to an injury. Should Anderson Silva drop to 170, he would have an instant title shot verse GSP. This makes for great fights not the opposite.
Jon also accused Chael of being a racist because of his pejorative comments about Brazil. The inhabitants of Brazil are not their own race. They are compatriots. According to Wikipedia, over 48 percent of the population is white, which is the same ethnic group as Chael. Sonnen could be accused of xenophobia or cultural insensitivity, but just as Americans are not a race, nor are Brazilians. Taking the moral high ground by labeling one a racist seems to lack conviction.
Jones says that the UFC cannot ask him to put his livelihood on the line. Asking a fighter to fight seems rather commonplace, especially when the person is the champion and is officially sponsored by the promotion. They were not asking him to risk his livelihood by competing in a spelling bee. They asked the champ to defend his belt on the same night he had been contracted to compete under identical conditions but with a different opponent. Seems rational to me.
On Vitor Belfort, Jones’ opponent for UFC 152, Jones states that he is honoured to fight him. This is Belfort’s return to the UFC after competing in various other organizations. As a 19-year-old, he was the UFC Heavyweight Tournament winner. His return to the UFC has seen him go 3-1 and having never fought at 205.
It seems incongruent that Vitor, in Jones’ mind, is a legitimate contender worthy of a title shot without having recently competed in this division, while Chael was an unacceptable last-minute replacement for the same reason.
“Bones” will amaze fans and be a massive PPV draw because of his fighting ability. No one can deny the entertainment value in watching him perform his art.
At 25, he has many more highlights to wow the world with. While many will watch to see him lose, no true fan will want to miss his shows. There is no true threat to the young lion’s throne on the horizon. It appears, for the time being, that his toughest obstacle to overcome is his age.
As UFC 151 was cancelled at the last minute roughly two weeks ago, UFC President Dana White placed the blame almost entirely on UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and his head trainer Greg Jackson. However, in an interview with Ariel Helwani…
As UFC 151 was cancelled at the last minute roughly two weeks ago, UFC President Dana White placed the blame almost entirely on UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and his head trainer Greg Jackson.
However, in an interview with Ariel Helwani on this week’s additions of UFC Tonight, White suddenly decided that the originally scheduled title challenger, Dan Henderson, should be held accountable as well (transcription via MMA Mania).
“Dan Henderson knew, two weeks before the fight—two weeks before he told me that he was injured—he knew. And had he given me that two weeks, like he should have, this fight might have happened,” he told Helwani.
Days after the event was cancelled, various media outlets reported that the knee injury that forced Henderson out of his main event fight with Jones was suffered several weeks ago.
Jones, a victim of heavy criticism by fans and of fighters alike for refusing to fight Chael Sonnen as a last- minute replacement, also began to throw Henderson under the bus when more details regarding the former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion’s injury were revealed.
As of late Tuesday evening, “Hendo” had not responded to any of the criticism from his boss or from the 25-year-old UFC title holder.
After a last-minute scramble, “Bones” now fights Vitor Belfort, who has not fought at light heavyweight for nearly five years, in the main event of UFC 152 on Sept. 22.
Does Henderson deserve a lion’s share of the blame for not coming forward with his knee injury sooner, or was UFC 151 doomed simply because of Jones’ unwillingness to fight a late replacement in Sonnen?
Jon Jones’ recent and numerous faux paus have tarnished his image as a fighter. Are Nike execs now facepalming in the wake of Jones’ DWI and inept handling of his public relations?
