Tag: UFC 152

UFC 152: Is Jon Jones the Most Hated Fighter in MMA?

Jon Jones used to be very well-liked amongst MMA fans.When he was just a prospect making his way up the ranks, beating guys like Stephan Bonnar and Vladimir Matyushenko, he was a big fan favorite.Then when he was awarded the title shot against Mauricio…

Jon Jones used to be very well-liked amongst MMA fans.

When he was just a prospect making his way up the ranks, beating guys like Stephan Bonnar and Vladimir Matyushenko, he was a big fan favorite.

Then when he was awarded the title shot against Mauricio Rua, people started to turn against him a little bit.

It all started when Jones was handing out autographs, signing as “champion” when he had not yet won the belt. That didn’t sit well with some people, but it wasn’t a big deal at that point.

His next fight was against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and that was when we saw the trash-talking side of Jon Jones, which, again, some people didn’t take kindly to.

In the fight against Rampage, Jones also did two things the fans didn’t like, as he lifted Rampage up and dropped him on his face after the bell to end the round rang. Then, throughout the fight, he would throw side kicks to the knee of Rampage, which—while legal—the fans felt was a “dirty” move.

By now, Jones had quite a few haters who would knock him at every chance they could get. It only got worse when he fought Lyoto Machida.

Jones caught Machida in a standing guillotine choke and put him to sleep, at which point the referee said to break, and Jones dropped Machida to the ground in a heap of unconsciousness.

People did not like that, even though Jones didn’t have much of an alternative to letting go when the referee said so.

After Jones fought Machida, he faced off with his former training partner and friend, Rashad Evans.

The Rashad Evans saga was the longest-running antagonism in the career of Jones.

After Jones won the title from Shogun Rua at UFC 128, he said in an interview that he would fight Rashad if Dana White wanted him to. Rashad did not take kindly to Jones’ change of heart about a fight and would soon leave Jackson’s MMA.

In the lead-up to their fight, there was a lot of trash-talk back and forth, and people began to see that Rashad may not actually be the bad guy, and that he may have been right about Jones all along, calling him “not genuine” and “fake.”

Jones would defeat Rashad and set up a fight against Dan Henderson.

However, around a month after Jones beat Rashad, Jones crashed his Bentley into a telephone pole and totaled it. He was then arrested for DUI, and later pleaded guilty to DWI.

That just gave fans more ammunition with which they could hate on Jones.

But then, the biggest reason of all for fans to hate Jones was when he turned down a fight against Chael Sonnen.

He was going to fight Dan Henderson at UFC 151, but Henderson was forced out with an injury.

Mauricio Rua and Lyoto Machida were offered the chance to fight Jones, and they both declined. Then Chael Sonnen stepped up and said he would fight Jones.

Jones said no.

When that happened, UFC 151 had to be cancelled, as no one could be found to fill the main-event slot. UFC 151 became the first card to ever be cancelled after the main card had been announced.

When Jones made that decision, he became the most hated fighter in all of MMA, and possibly all of MMA history.

He refused to fight a smaller fighter who hadn’t been training and is more one-dimensional than Dan Henderson, and in turn, caused the card to be cancelled.

A few days before all this happened, I had written an article about how the hate for Jones was unwarranted. Then when UFC 151 was cancelled, I got a fork and ate my words.

See what happens with Jones when he fights Vitor Belfort on Saturday at UFC 152.

 

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 152 Fight Card: How Many Legit Contenders Does Jon Jones Have Left at LHW?

Since Jon Jones defeated Shogun Rua for the light heavyweight title, he has been on an absolute tear. He has defeated former champions Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans with relative ease.His next challenge comes in the form of Vitor Belf…

Since Jon Jones defeated Shogun Rua for the light heavyweight title, he has been on an absolute tear. He has defeated former champions Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans with relative ease.

His next challenge comes in the form of Vitor Belfort. This begs the question: If Jones defeats Belfort at UFC 152, who’s next?

I could focus on the old breed of contenders in this article. Lyoto Machida is at the top of the list, as is Shogun Rua. Both of these men have been defeated by Jones, so I decided to focus on new fighters who haven’t seen Jones yet.

I believe there are two new contenders, with a third needing a bit more seasoning. These would be new fighters who would present intriguing matchups to Jones, if he remains the champion.

Here is my list of three.

 

Dan Henderson

Henderson was already slated to fight Jones before an unfortunate injury sidelined him. He has high-level wrestling and the always potent H-Bomb to help him end fights. Seeing as this fight was already set to happen, Henderson seems an obvious choice to fight Jones when his injury is healed.

 

Alex Gustafsson

Gustafsson is the second contender on this list. He holds a 6-1 UFC record and is now fighting Shogun Rua. Gustafsson has an excellent skill set, which consists of his ever-improving wrestling and ground game as well as his slick boxing.

He is also tall and has a good reach, which could help him against Jones. But he needs to beat Shogun in order to think about Jones.

 

Glover Teixeira

I don’t believe Teixeira will get a title shot in the near future. He is the most long-shot potential contender on this list. He has only one UFC fight under his belt, but it was very impressive. He next fights Fabio Maldonado at UFC 153.

Teixeira has wicked KO power and submissions, and he should be a force in the light heavyweight division in the coming months.

Shoot me a comment on the article or tweet me @FuscoNation16.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 152 Fight Card: Jon Jones and the 20 Most Dominant Champions in MMA History

There are always going to be new champions in MMA. Eventually, a champion will be dethroned, and a new one will be crowned.Some, however, last longer than others.There have been fighters in MMA who have been champion for years and years at a time. Ther…

There are always going to be new champions in MMA. Eventually, a champion will be dethroned, and a new one will be crowned.

Some, however, last longer than others.

There have been fighters in MMA who have been champion for years and years at a time. There are champions who haven’t even lasted six months.

To take the leap from champion to dominant champion, fighters need to hold the belt for as long as they can while defeating top contenders, whoever they may be.

Here are the 20 most dominant champions in MMA history.

Begin Slideshow

The Unsupportable Opinion: The Cancellation of UFC 151 Was Good for the Fans


(While 406 votes may not seem that significant, first consider that this screenshot was taken within an hour of the poll’s creation, and all 111 votes for Dana White were placed by one person. You know who.)

UFC 152 is still three days away, yet I already feel something churning within the deepest regions of my stomach, something I haven’t felt in quite some time when dealing with a UFC card: Excitement. Maybe even nervousness. While at least some of the mixed emotion can be attributed to a few names featured on the card that I always like to watch throw down (specifically: Stann, Belfort, Benavidez, and Hettes), I can’t help but feel as if the main source of my excitement is completely disconnected from the card itself, as if any card could bring me this kind of joy. I feel like I did in the days before a UFC event four or five years ago, and I guarantee that a good percentage of you are feeling it too.

And I imagine you know why you’re feeling it. It’s because the cancellation of UFC 151 was responsible for the largest gap between UFC cards in nearly two years, and was ultimately a good move by the UFC.

At the risk of retreading old ground, I’ll admit that I was quick to throw haterade on Jon Jones for his decision to not fight Chael Sonnen in the days that followed it, and still feel a little disdain toward the champ for doing so. But now that I’ve had some time to digest the situation in its entirety, I’ve come to at least appreciate both Jones’ and the UFC’s decision — as conflicting as it is to say so — and here are the main reasons why.


(While 406 votes may not seem that significant, first consider that this screenshot was taken within an hour of the poll’s creation, and all 111 votes for Dana White were placed by one person. You know who.)

UFC 152 is still three days away, yet I already feel something churning within the deepest regions of my stomach, something I haven’t felt in quite some time when dealing with a UFC card: Excitement. Maybe even nervousness. While at least some of the mixed emotion can be attributed to a few names featured on the card that I always like to watch throw down (specifically: Stann, Belfort, Benavidez, and Hettes), I can’t help but feel as if the main source of my excitement is completely disconnected from the card itself, as if any card could bring me this kind of joy. I feel like I did in the days before a UFC event four or five years ago, and I guarantee that a good percentage of you are feeling it too.

And I imagine you know why you’re feeling it. It’s because the cancellation of UFC 151 was responsible for the largest gap between UFC cards in nearly two years, and was ultimately a good move by the UFC.

At the risk of retreading old ground, I’ll admit that I was quick to throw haterade on Jon Jones for his decision to not fight Chael Sonnen in the days that followed it, and still feel a little disdain toward the champ for doing so. But now that I’ve had some time to digest the situation in its entirety, I’ve come to at least appreciate both Jones’ and the UFC’s decision — as conflicting as it is to say so — and here are the main reasons why.

1. Cancelling UFC 151 saved us from another “garbage-ass” card:

This general opinion is both why many fans were quick to defend Jones/lambaste Dana White and ironically the best reason that we were spared UFC 151 in favor of UFC 152. As BG so eloquently phrased it, UFC 151 was kind of garbage-ass, so let’s take a look at what we would have been dealing with had it transpired:

While there are definitely some good matchups here, a PPV main card that features Dennis Ballman vs. Thiago Tavares is not a good indicator of a card’s strength. Plus, Jacob Volkmann, you guys.

Now let’s take a look at what we’ll be treated to this weekend, God willing:

Top to bottom, UFC 152 is pretty freakin’ stacked. The only fight on the main card that doesn’t immediately scream fireworks is Hamill vs. Hollett, and the fact that it features an inspirational figure like Hamill attempting a career comeback should be enough to get most fans interested in the matchup. On the undercard, we’ll get to see the UFC return of TUF 8 finalist and true M-1 Light Heavyweight champ Vinny Magalhaes against powerful/streaking slugger Igor Pokrajac, another chance to see the ever-improving phenom Jimy Hettes, as well as crowd-pleasers like Kyle Noke, Walel Watson, and Evan Dunham.

Is the main event still a squash match? Sure, but Vitor Belfort has a way better chance at dethroning Jon Jones than Sonnen ever did, and in much more exciting fashion. And I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather see the inaugural flyweight title fight as my co-main than Jay Hieron vs. Jake Ellenberger (all due respect), even though no one seems to be talking about either.

2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Like I previously stated, part if not most of my excitement (and what I imagine is the case for many of you) truly has little to do with who I will be watching, but merely the fact that I will be watching any high-level fights. While this is not exactly a point I can prove using any kind of empirical data, we’ve discussed the possibility of over-saturation in the UFC before and a good percentage of you seemed to agree that the frequency of UFC cards was having the opposite of the desired effect when it came to the frequency at which you purchased them. By simply giving UFC 152 a little time to stew and gain hype — the latter of which could at least partially be attributed to the awesome fan made trailers for the event — the UFC will more than likely reap the pay-per-view rewards of an unprecedented (as of late) month long gap in between cards come fight night.

Will it be Sonnen-level buys? Maybe so, maybe not, but by a show of hands, how many of you Taters plan on purchasing UFC 152 this weekend or at least traveling to the nearest bar to catch it? It’s probably a higher percentage than you would imagine given the headlining matchup at hand.

3. SQUASH MATCHES ARE AWESOME

You guys want a return to the PRIDE mentality? You want some good old fashioned freak show fights? How about a main event where the champion is currently listed at -800 over the challenger? Not good enough? How about a -1350 deathmatch featuring Anderson Silva and this guy? Whether the UFC is aware of it or not, they have slowly begun to adopt the mindset that made PRIDE so balls-to-the-wall awesome. Mainly, serving up a squash match or two to help the audience digest all of the “fair fights” that have been plauging the UFC as of late. They’re even bringing back the ref cam…eventually. And as soon as the UFC decides to throw caution to the wind and embrace this old-school mentality with 100% enthusiasm, it can only mean two things:

1) Martinez vs. Zimmer II

2) The UFC return of a certain Japanese HLUK-slaying legend.

So yes, the cancellation of UFC 151 was actually a good thing for the fans of the sport, excluding of course those who wound up with a hotel room, flight, and other expenses that they could not back out of. But like they say, to make an omelette, you gotta break some eggs, and do I really need to explain why the UFC needs this sort of omelette?

–J. Jones

UFC 152: Vitor Belfort and Why MMA’s Good Old Days Were More Fun Than Today

We’ve heard a lot in the last two weeks about Vitor Belfort, the old lion from the sport’s primitive years who is challenging one of today’s modern marvels, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones this weekend at UFC 152.The fight itself is of little …

We’ve heard a lot in the last two weeks about Vitor Belfort, the old lion from the sport’s primitive years who is challenging one of today’s modern marvels, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones this weekend at UFC 152.

The fight itself is of little interest—Belfort is about to get smashed Blackstreet style. No diggity. No doubt. But what Belfort represents will never die. He embodies a simpler time, one that is near and dear to the hearts of all hardcore fans.

I was reminiscing today with some of my long time MMA friends. Like me their fandom was forged in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, when being an MMA fan wasn’t just a past time, it was more like a job. That may sound ridiculous, but ask anyone who was there: You didn’t just become an MMA fan by happenstance.

There was no The Ultimate Fighter to ease you in, no Jon “Bones” Jones Nike gear. If you wanted to be a fan of the sport, it required serious diligence and work.

Just getting your hands on a UFC event took effort. Someone in your circle needed a dish, because it wasn’t happening on cable. But the UFC was just the beginning.

There were promotions all over the world, each wackier than the one before. Different rules, different fighters, completely different levels of presentation and professionalism. It was like entering the world’s best carnival, or maybe a super violent swap meet, a kaleidoscope of flying fists and brutal submissions.

In the ensuing discussion, a thought hit me squarely between the eyes, an inkling that kind of made me happy and sad, all at once, emotions swirling like the wind:

It was more fun to be an MMA fan back then.

I can hear the hue and cry already, but it’s true. As my hero Kurt Angle would say “It’s damn true.”

Will today’s MMA fan ever find themselves in a Japanese grocery store, looking for tapes of the 1994 King of Pancrase tournament? Surrounded by the oddest smells and strangest sights, I found the “puroresu” section just down the aisle from seaweed flavored rice cakes. These are the moments I’d never give back and that today’s fans will never have.

Will today’s MMA fan ever know the joy of Andre Roberts? Mildly obese, angry and all Indian, Andre Roberts represents the fighters who will never know fame (let alone fortune) in today’s MMA landscape. Roberts had to wear a t-shirt to cover his jiggly parts, but if you told me I needed someone to guard my back in a biker bar, that’s my first call.

Will today’s MMA fan ever know the simple pleasure of a package arriving at the doorstep, filled to bursting with pristine VHS tapes of the old International Vale Tudo Championship? Bootlegs from Brazil, chock full of early Wanderlei Silva fights? That’s a slice of heaven, one that made me the king of the tape traders for several months.

I understand that fighters today are more skilled, better athletes, richer and that the sport is in a good place. I don’t know that I would turn back the clock, even if I had that power.

What I do know is that I share a common bond with people like my friend Alan, a shared experience that used to mean so much. When you identified yourself as an MMA fan a decade ago, it meant something—you had to care, and deeply, just to make that claim.

I miss it every day. And while I won’t root for Vitor Belfort, never that, I will be rooting for everything he represents.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 152: 3 Fighters with the Most to Lose

UFC 152 officially ends a long drought that UFC 151 left behind when it got cancelled. With UFC 152 coming up though, there are multiple fighters on the card who face real risk.There are three fighters that have the most to lose come fight night. Here …

UFC 152 officially ends a long drought that UFC 151 left behind when it got cancelled. With UFC 152 coming up though, there are multiple fighters on the card who face real risk.

There are three fighters that have the most to lose come fight night. Here are those men.

 

Matt Hamill

Matt Hamill returns from a brief retirement on the main card Saturday night to face tough opponent Roger Hollett. This is a big risk for Hamill, especially if he comes to the cage rusty.

Hamill not only has to prove that he is still a top-level competitor, but he has to do it against a guy trying to prove himself in Hollett. 

It is Hollett‘s debut and he will be looking to make a big impression. 

Don’t be fooled by Hollett. If you haven’t heard of him, look him up because he is very underrated. He is 13-3, on a five-fight win streak and has finished 11 of his wins.

In Hamill’s case, a loss here would likely finish his relationship with the UFC. He is currently riding a two-fight skid against the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Alexander Gustafsson. 

Despite his stellar record with the UFC, another loss would be devastating. Especially at the age of 35, he is no rookie anymore.

Hamill is a tough, skilled fighter, but he is in dire need of a win here.

 

Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping is always talking about how he deserves a title shot and he thinks a win over Brian Stann will earn him one, but where does he go if he loses this fight?

For one thing, Bisping is often scrutinized for not being able to get the job done against top fighters. Every time he has taken that step up in competition, he has been put away.

His last fight was a loss to Chael Sonnen. Whether or not you agree with that decision, a loss is a loss.

So, if Bisping loses here against Brian Stann, who is probably a top-15 fighter, will he ever be close enough to earn a title shot again?

One has to think probably not. A loss to Stann would push him far away from title contention, with guys like Chris Weidman, Alan Belcher and Tim Boetsch snooping around the top of the division.

This loss would leave the brash Brit between a rock and a hard place.

 

Jon Jones

One could say that Jon Jones is not taking any risk at all by fighting an aged middleweight like Vitor Belfort, but the scenario in which he loses makes this a huge risk for Jones.

Yes, this looks like an easy fight for Jones. But don’t underestimate the speed and power of Belfort. If he gets inside he could put Jones to sleep.

Now, I am not saying this is going to happen, quite the opposite. I think that Jones is going to manhandle Belfort in a match that was made just to draw money and keep Jones active.

But, if Jones were to lose to Belfort, it would severely hurt his legacy. 

Jones better not underestimate Belfort come fight time.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com