Has Jon Jones become the most hated champion in UFC history?
Posted on September 3, 2012, 06:14 PM by Mike DrahotaIt is no secret that UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones has lost some fans in the aftermath of the cancellation of UFC 151. Many blamed Jones for the event's demise for backing out of an impromptu fight with former Middleweight challenger Chael Sonnen. While he agreed to fight later in the month against Lyoto Machida and ultimately Vitor Belfort after Machida changed his mind, Dana White was quick to rush and blame Jones and his camp for being completely at fault. There are tons of details involved, and fans have a veritable spectrum of views and opinions on the subject, but it remains a fact that Jon Jones is quickly becoming a heel in the public's eye. Like him or not, his popularity may be headed into the realm of people paying to see him hopefully lose. Is Jon Jones the most hated champion in UFC history?
Jones appears to become more and more arrogant and self-entitled to the public eye with each fight. He also seems to be getting better with each fight, looking seemingly unstoppable since obtaining the Light Heavyweight crown early last year. Gaining endorsements from the likes of Nike and the UFC itself, he was headed for a poster boy status as the undisputed golden boy of MMA. But something went amiss along the path to that canned, too-good-to-be-true scenario. It may have started when Jones was blamed for faking a hand injury to avoid fighting Rashad Evans after Evans, Jones's famed training partner and former friend, left Greg Jackson's camp. It may have started when he began signing autographs “Jon Jones, UFC Light Heavyweight champion” before the belt was his. It could have been when he engaged in a massive trash-talk war with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, a fan-favorite. Who knows. Any way you slice it, Jon Jones has become the heel after the whole UFC 151 fiasco.
Sure, you could cite champions who people sincerely didn't like, like Anderson Silva or Matt Hughes, or even the notoriously tough-to-reason-with Brock Lesnar. But they never rocked the boat quite like Jones has of late. Is it truly deserved? That could be arguable. Could Jones soften it up for the public and maybe put his own needs on the back shelf for a moment? Also debatable. If he wants to be the long-reigning champ at 205, it may behoove him to make some friends along the way. Apparently, he does not seem to think the same way, Tweeting this response to a fan this weekend:
@vince_mcman I'm not here to be loved, I'm here to be dominant
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 1, 2012
Is it true? Has Jon Jones become the most hated champion in UFC history? I think he has, folks. Can he repair his image to the fans? Maybe, but does he even care? His actions, as of late, would suggest he does not. After the UFC sponsored him and backed him through his legal issues, one would think he may step up to bat for them. Instead, Jones spoke of “Carrying the cross” for his company in a half-hearted apology for the cancellation. Perhaps he is the greatest fighter, but part of fighting is relating to the fans, after all. His publicist recently walked out on Jones because the rising star fighter was reportedly so prickly to deal with. Should Jon Jones tune it down a notch and show some concern and respect for his fans?
Comments
"Perhaps he is the greatest fighter, but part of fighting is relating to the fans, after all."
I don't agree with this statement, good or bad, publicity is publicity. People will either tune in to watch him cause he is a badass fighter, or they will tune in hoping to see him get his ass kicked. I personally still enjoy seeing the guy fight, just wish he would shut up though.
Exactly.
The Floyd Mayweather school of being a prize fighter.
Bah,distant third at very best.Look at the ppv draws of lesnar,i can remember being at a party where people didn't even know who he was but they wanted him to get destroyed in the carwin match, he never got any respect for anything he did. People claimed it was because he was from the WWF but then those same idiots drop to half-height for a tailor-made WWE.
Then there's AS ofcourse, who can never quite win the right way in the eyes of imbeciles and even skyrocketed the chump i just referred to into fame for doing nothing but mouthing off. There's something to be said when people ignore steroids and a possible jail term for what supposedly threw the economy into calamity just because he appeared to have a chance to off the ****y black guy.
Then there's jones,kobe to AS' michael, getting hated on because stupid people think he should fight the same mouthy guy and Dana pulls their strings....
Yea, distant 3rd at best.
the fact that he called a guy out and backed out of the fight ,.... drops
alot of respect... is a great fighter ,,, but to tell a guy he fights like a kid
and has no skills have no problem whooping him... know he said he was moving up in weight and coming for the belt..pretty much calls him out ...... had been training for months is not last minute he was in insane shape now Chael was last minute I dont care if he did train for 2 weeks get real .....you called him out he took the fight and you batched out is what it is........seen a title that said Jones said would pay the other fighters so what is stopping him..... some one called him fake.....kinda see what they are talking about nows
One thing that bugs me is most people act like they know the fighters personally you have no idea if they are fake, you just like throwing that word around for someone you know nothing about same thing goes for Tito Ortiz he is a great guys but nobody knows that
i dont hate the guy at all you idiots r probly jealous idk wat else it could be hahaahah
I completely agree with you. Too many lemmings are afraid to form their own opinions. Jones will keep winning and haters will keep hating.
The fact that UFC is feeding Jones Belfort, yes feeding him Belfort is proof that nobody else wanted to step up. Yet I dont hear no sh*t talking about everybody elses fighter ducking Jones. Like I said before Henderson knew he was gonna get his ass handed to him and fortunatly was able to avoid that... for now.
why did he bicth out to Chael a guy just moving up in weight and lil training......
ksooner76: Lol. .Like Chael had a shot at beating Jones in the first place, please. The whole Chael Sonnen/UFC 151 fiasco is getting more comical than ever. He didn't deserve the title shot, plain and simple.
Jones said he would fight Chael, Machida Rua, or anyone the UFC gives him on sept 22nd his issue was the 8 days notice not who his opponent was. Please learn that facts, it just proves it dosnt matter what the truth is you going to read it how you want to
I agree chael had no shot.....so Jones camp should have thought the same and should have took the fight. Easily more ppv money, less risk, and another name added to the list of people he's destroyed. Now he has to fight a guy who at least has a punchers chance of winning, equally doesn't deserve the shot, and brings less in terms of ppv sales. Bad move on the champs part IMO. He's still adding vitor to his list though so meh
i dont hate him, in fact i love to see him fight. but the truth is every fight starting with shogun i wanted him to lose but it was because i liked his opponents more. shogun is an animal but respectful. rampage is afunny jackass. lyoto the respectful master. rashad i disliked at a time but hes not bad at all, he usually just disrespects his opponent, but jones just seems like he always put up a front, but now we know him better hes ****y, arrogant, and doesnt care about peoples perception of him. he could learn a thing or two from greats like randy or dan or even dos santos.atleast in that tweet hes being real, he should say he dont give a fudge about any1 or what they think
I'm still a big Bones Jones fan but I disagree with some of his decisions, obviously this big one lately.
Honestly, I put it down to youth and pressure... it's not his fault the company put the livelihood of 20 fighters on his shoulders. He probably made the wrong decision but he was forced in to a very hard situation at the UFC's fault
i like him as a fighter no doubt about that. outta the cage hes a little annoying
i dont hate the guy at all you idiots r probly jealous idk wat else it could be hahaahah
I'm sorry, what did you say?
I didn't catch it the second time and you're so smart and all . . . I sure don't want to miss another of your gems.
He's the youngest UFC champ to date, very confident, dominant, & rich & after every victory the brotha tongues down a blond hair, blue eyed chick in front of everyone. I think it more jealousy than hatred.
This is probably the first time EVER, I totally agree with you Hater..
I couldn't stomach the thought of kissing a black girl either. 8P
lol bicth made....no way Chael its not fair...kinda sounds like please dont kick my azz...
You know Hater, I wasn't even going to post in here since I already had my say in other threads. And I usually wouldnt say what I did in my reply above. But if you're going to post racially charged comments on the premise of simply trying to anger people, then you have to deal with what comes your way. You've been SO easy to burn, I'll start bringing my fire extinguisher with me when I visit the site.
If Chael was dating a sister & anybody commented the reason why the brothas don't like Chael is because he got a black girl, would not be racist. Stop taking every thing so serious, ya toughy typer.
@Entity,
Well said with regards to Hateocracy and his racist comments.
Let it be said that racism is based on fear, and those who live in fear find it hard to be happy. Hate may be the way Hateocracy deals with his fear. Some people would argue that he needs to be loved until he can love himself. Afterall, if he cant love himself, how can other people love him?
Hateocracy, please change your name to, "Pleasehelpme" - because you do need help.
Good Luck
Everything this guy has to say revolves around racism and black oppression taking on the "whites". And then he calls you a racist if you argue with his point of view. Fear indeed. And hatred. What kind of a chicken shit has to use the guilt and shame of slavery in the past to ease his sense of inferiority? You'd think he walked on his sisters topping off some redneck inbred ****.
You just mad because he had both your sisters topping him off in the Bent when he crashed huh.
I think Tito still has him beat, but he's getting there.
I think what irks most people is that he's trying to exude a down to earth and humble persona - and to mention dragging the almighty's name everytime.
maybe if he embraced the character of being a ****y SOB (and a dominant one for that matter) - for sure he'd have more fans.
Like how tito and rampage were in their glory days, and in some moments also Andy.
Everybody loves an a-hole, especially the confident and dominant one.
@Random_mma
So "everybody loves an a-hole"... are you referring to everyone you know, or everyone on the entire planet? Either way, for you to know this with surety you would have to ask either, a) everyone you know, b) everyone on the entire planet - do you love a-hole.
My Question then; why would you go around asking people if they love an a-hole? Is there something we should know about you random_mma?
The guys who like A-holes here are the guys who believe everything Dana and steroid guy say.
Me, i remember the days when those kind of guys weren't appearing in every TV sitcom or show on TV
Jones is "sticking it" to the world, isn't he?
Jones needs a better publicist and an occasional mute button. He its on his way to being one of the must hated of all time. However every sport needs a villain. The truth is the massive amount of success he's seen thus far has created a monster both inside and outside of the ring. Everyone loses and is humbled at some point. It just might take longer for Jon to learn this lesson.
He sure seems to be the most hated champ, and he can also be the best in a few years. No surprise though, people ALWAYS hate on the guys at the top. Just look at all the hate towards Kobe and Crosby and Bradey. You can throw Anderson in there to, while hes not nearly as hated as Jones, hes not as liked as much as the best fighter the ufc has ever seen should be.
Honestly for me is the lack of sincerity what gets me, also his fan base claiming he is the best ever when it is just too soon to be saying things like that, specially with Anderson Silva still active, or with the 10 years of dominance that Fedor had, there is no doubt he is great talent and he probably will be one of the best if he cools down a little bit because right now his head since to be too big and he could be loosing focus falling into his own hype and if I am right he could ended up losing his confindence if he gets beaten by someone and he may never recover, I am not saying it will happen but its always a posibility if he keeps leting all this get to his head and all the people around keep blowing smoke up his ass
I agree with you on the fans part same goes for Fedor I have nothing against Fedor but his fans drive me nuts as far as focus we have no idea since we do not know Jones we dont know how hard he trains and how many times a day he trains. the effort he puts in the drive and heart to push on that makes him such a great fighter, so that is an unfair thing to say.
I think he is involving himself to much in explaining his reason, he could've just said something like " it didnt feel right and my coacges advice was to not take the fight and I pay this guys to give me advice so it would be dumb to go against it, I am sorry for the fans and my fellow fighters fighters but I had to do was right for me, I am truly sorry an I will try to make it up for everyone including Dana, it was a hard decision but I have to stick to it" instead he is trying to make himself the victim and trying to put the blame somewhere else (wich Dana did first) and looks like he is more focus on clearing his name than in trying to get ready for Belfort (who even tho he is not the top contender he is still a threat)
One of the best fighters for sure.He has the most nuthuggers on this sight by far though...from religious druken driver pussing out from Sonen 8 days before a fight he had a full training camp hiding behind managment legend bashing..and the douchebag award of the year goes to..Jonny "**** the fans pay me" Jones.
That is because he is winning, go back 2 years and you wouldnt believe all the fedor nut huggers it dosnt even compare to Jones's
Is Jones hated more here than Chael is hated in Brazil?? Whats the difference?? Who gives a shit!! I love Jones. I love Chael!! I love great fights!! And when we all think this shit gets real it gets even better. Keep it coming please
some right nut huggers on here.
all the things he has done and you still can not see why ppl are pissed off!
the event was not completely his fault but he has acted cowardly which you do not expect from a champion.
why would be jealous?
Chuck is the highest overall earner from mma and has had some hot women and fans think he is awesome!
At some point a champ has to realize that most fans are just too dumb to please. Anderson has said that most fans don't know what's happening in the arena, so they cheer for a guy one minute and boo him the very next.
People can't appreciate the supreme strategy in a match like AS and belfort where they didn't throw a shot for what seemed like an eternity..
But now that i know artisans and guardians are 85% of the population, i can somewhat understand why so many people act as though strategy is a dirty word.
untill the day some1 kan beat him maybe hel go quiet bt for now who gives a fuk this is what he dooze . boss
These guys grow up with idols like Ali, who was also a very hated guy in many circles. But at the end of the day if you can be a dominant champ, in a sport that uses 4oz gloves, there is bound to be champs with egos the size of apartment buildings.
UFC 151 wasn't Jon Jones fault. Dana just didn't want a repeat of that atrocity in Calgary, AB where the entire card was revamped, and sucked due to the lack of depth.
Your view is rational Kevin, the problem is being a fan of a sport actually breeds irrationality. I am a huge soccer fan will screams at the ref the give a foul even though it isn't. Some fighter's personality just rub people up the wrong regardless of what they say and what they do, fans try to rationalize why they hate guys but don't even know themselves. I've seen guys on lowkick say how much they Bisping (before the spitting) because he's too ****y and trash talks lol but I see same people making positive comments about Chris Leben.
no i wouldn't say hes hated but he certainly didn't gain anymore fans and caused people that already didn't like him such as myself to dislike me even more because in my opinion he had no reason to turn down the fight with chael who wasn't even training for a fight and on top of that chael is pretty similar to henderson minus the big ko power and accomplishments not only did he let down us as fans of the ufc but he let down dana lorenzo fertitta when they needed him the most and who have helped him get to where he is in his mma career and most importantly the other fighters who were supposed to fight the same day as he was who need the money more than him to pay bills and put food on the table for their kids and other things to provide for their families
people who blame Jones for the cancellation must be wondering what's that weird ball on their shoulders they keep looking through, can't be anything worthwhile using up there, now can it??
To Whom it may concern: The narrow minded ignorance of some people is superseded only by their obvious lack of intelligence and couth. In other words a sports page is no place for discriminatory comments about fighters. Grow up immature morons.
Its beyond me how jealous and vicious people are behaving to this young man.He's first of all a responsible father of 2 children.He is eloquent,positive and BELEIVES in himself.
He's taking this sport to the mainstream and will go down as the greatest for more than one reason.It would have been stupid of him to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice and it's the owners of the UFC responsibility to make sure they always have a back up plan.Chael Sonnen had his opportunity to be a champion twice.The comments that came from that mans mouth were not only abusive but racist at the end of the day.What has Jon Jones done that is remotely close 2 the dispicable behavior of Chael Sonnen?
Do your thing champion-dominate
Responsable father of 2 that cheats on his babies mother and crash in drunk driving incident, weird definiton of responsable father ypu made there pal..