Why Didn’t I Fight Chael Sonnen?
JONES A SPOILED BRAT WITH A UFC TITLE!
Sacramento, CA– UFC champion Jon Jones has done the unthinkable when he brought a “boxing mentality” to the UFC. The light heavyweight (205 lbs) champion turned down a fight with a questionable challenger in the smaller Chael Sonnen who has fought his best at 185. Regardless of circumstances, this is how he appears in the eye of the public. He is the prima donna who took money out of every other fighter’s pocket by forcing the UFC to cancel a card for the first time in history.
NOT A JON JONES DISCIPLE AT ALL
Something has always rubbed me the wrong way about Bones (16-1, lone loss a DQ in a fight he was killing Matt Hammill) that I can be honest about. His personality, or lack thereof, grates on my nerves. Nevertheless, I respect his talent
and ability as Jon has proven he is in a class all by himself at 205 with destruction of legends like
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida is no small feat by any means. He has earned the admiration of fans through his stunning victories, but turning down a fight will cost him.
BEING TOO HARSH ON JONES?
Jones does not deserve all the criticism he is now receiving, but that will not stop fans from ridiculing the champion as being afraid of another fighter. He has every right to pull out of a fight if he is only given eight days notice. Unfortunately, that is not the way of the UFC. Fighters are expected to fight at the drop of a hat and always are prepared to step in and take on a challenge at a moment’s notice. In other words, Jones refused to play by the rules.
GAME SONNEN LOOKED LIKE A BOLOGNA SANDWICH!
The fact that Chael Sonnen was willing to step in just after moving up from middleweight will hurt Jones as well. Sonnen was prepared to take on Jones in place of his injured training partner Dan Henderson. Some observers will note that Jones only had eight days to prepare for a new opponent, going from facing a righty after originally slated to fight a left handed Henderson, but those excuses are moot points at this point and time. Sonnen had just as much time, and was coming up in weight, yet he had no problem taking the fight. Factor in the recent Jones DUI charge, the spouting of delusional nonsense, and the forced cancellation of a card. To put is simply, Jon Jones is now a bona fide villain or as they refer to in pro wrestling, a “heel.”
BEING THE HEEL DOES HAVE SOME ADVANTAGES
Being a villain can be a very lucrative approach to the combat sports business. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has made a career out of playing the bad guy. Mike Tyson has accumulated some of the highest Pay Per View sales of all time. Muhammad Ali used his gift of gab to trash talk opponents, infuriate fans and build interest in his fights. Unfortunately for Jon Jones, he does not have the charisma of Mayweather and Ali or the one-punch knockout power of Tyson. He is an extraordinary fighter and athlete, but his personality is a bit bland.
SOUNDS LIKE “JOHN BOY” WALTON TALKING SMACK
Jones’ trash talk is often uninspired and he comes across as “fake” to many fight fans. Regardless, there are many fans that would pay to see him lose a fight. The problem is there is virtually no chance he will lose to Vitor Belfort, a fighter who normally campaigns at middleweight (185) and is making a 20-pound jump up in weight to challenge Jones for the title September 22 in UFC 152 September 22 in Toronto, Canada.
THIS LIKE WILT CHAMBERLAIN FIGHTING A MIDGET!
This match with Belfort makes very little sense, as Jones will be an enormous (12-1 in MMA is like 40-1 in horse racing) favorite and there are still viable options at 205. In his last fight, Vitor struggled against Anthony Johnson before submitting him. Johnson was able to take Belfort down with ease, and Jones is the far more superior wrestler. For the record, Vitor has won seven of his last eight fights. Standing up is where Vitor has his best chance, but overcoming Jones’ 10-inch reach advantage will prove that difficult if not impossible.
HAS MORPHED FROM FROM HERO TO SLUG!
Jones is now forced to play the role of villain. His recent DUI charge may have been a foreshadowing of things to come. As long as he keeps winning, people will pay to see him. As the heel, “JJ” could attract even more potential Pay Per View buyers hoping to see someone behead Atlanta, GA based fighter. The road ahead of Jones may be a rough one, but it could be quite fruitful as long as he takes on dangerous opponents. Up until this point, that has certainly been the case. The Belfort fight marks the first piece of “burned toast” for Jones has attempted to eat since he became champion. Here’s hoping it’s the last.
WELCOME THE “NEW GUY”
You might want to welcome “Zak Attack” Young.
“Zak Attack” Young