Dear Jon Jones:
Dana White is on vacation this week, so I thought I’d take a break from writing to him and turn my attention to you. After all, this week has been your greatest in terms of notoriety. No fight or feud has given you as much attention on both mainstream and social media as the current one with Daniel Cormier
There have been other fights that have been heated, but in those fights, you didn’t do what you have done leading up to this fight. You were always carrying yourself as the good guy.
Rampage Jackson was the instigator, Chael Sonnen was team dark-side, and Rashad Evans was the jealous training partner that was leapfrogged by his former friend. You didn’t mouth off, say overly rude things, and you kept your cool.
Fans have had reasons to hate you. The DUI, the eye-pokes, and the arrogance that comes along with being the champion of an alpha-male sport at such a young age. You never played the role of bad guy though. These things were mistakes, techniques and immaturity. Now, fans have a reason to root against you.
The Brawl
Never has the UFC ever seen a physical dispute outside of the cage like what happened with you and Daniel Cormier. Fists flew, stage parts collapsed and a minute later, you were yelling in excitement towards a crowd of fans
So who was at fault for the brawl? I’m pointing the blame towards you “Bones”. We’ve seen fighters get hit by a small shot before, and they’ve responded with little to no retaliation.
Sonnen received a shoulder to the face courtesy of Anderson Silva, and didn’t move an inch. Diaz knocked Cerrone’s cowboy hat off and shoved him. Nothing else occurred.
You did something no other fighter has done. Cormier shoved you with his hand to your throat, Dave Sholler separated you two, and that’s where it should have ended. Instead, you shoved Sholler aside to attack Cormier.
Did Cormier deserve it? Maybe. But never in the UFC has the person between the two men been tossed aside. A completely disrespectful move to both Sholler and the UFC.
You Still There Pussy?
A few days after the incident everyone started choosing sides. We began to see you troll Cormier on social media and during interviews.
The trolling hit a peak when video was leaked of you and Cormier talking between takes of an ESPN interview.
You called Cormier a pussy, acknowledged you put on an act for the camera and you threatened to kill Cormier if he spat in your face.
You essentially confirmed to most people that the old Jon Jones is dead. No longer are you a fighter who let his talents do the talking, but instead a fighter willing to play the bad guy.
While showing your bad side has ruffled feathers and has possibly lost you some fans, I believe it will prove to be your best career move yet.
Be The Bad Guy
The UFC is in desperate need of stars. As a humble champion, you were not a star. As a cocky, arrogant champion, you’ll be a star.
UFC 178 is being talked about as the PPV of the year. The main card is solid, but the selling point is you and Daniel Cormier.
Without this animosity, the PPV may have sold 400,000 to 500,000. Now with all of the trolling, mean words and meaner actions, this PPV should do upwards of 600,000 – 700,000 buys.
Being hated is not a bad thing when it comes to sports, especially combat sports. Tons of people buy Floyd Mayweather fights just to see if he’ll finally lose. With your young arrogance and overall dominance, people will begin to do the same for you.
You just have to continue to act the part of the bad guy. Maybe you don’t even need to act. If the way you talked to Cormier is how you’d usually talk to opponents behind the scenes, then we need to see that side of you on camera more.
So please, Mr. Jones, for the fans of the UFC and for our sport, be the bad guy. Continue to do what you are doing right now for your future fights. Have ESPN talking about each and every one of your fights, and have casual MMA fans buying your PPV’s each and every time.
Most importantly though, continue to win. You have a tough test in Cormier, but I believe you have what it takes to win. Defeat Cormier, beat Gustafsson, and become the next mega star in MMA.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @MikeHutchLWOS. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For more great MMA interviews with the biggest fight stars on the planet, remember to check out Hammer MMA Radio on 93.3 CFMU or find their latest episodes on our main page’s sidebar. Hammer Radio features interviews from some of the industry’s biggest stars. You can find the latest on the Hammer @SteveJeffery.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Main Photo by Patrick Smith/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
