The F in UFC stands for fighting.
Maybe someone should remind Jon Jones that.
Earlier this week, the UFC light heavyweight champion forced the cancellation of next Saturday?s UFC 151 event. After his title challenger, Dan Henderson, partially tore his MCL, UFC president Dana White offered the champ a fight with Chael Sonnen, who offered to step into the main event spot.
This despite moving up a weight class, not training and coming off a fight just last month. Remember, he was knocked out by middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
But Jones, who is the brother of Patriots first round pick Chandler Jones, selfishly declined.
?This is probably one of my all-time lows as being president of UFC,? White said. ?Dan Henderson tried to train, he continued to work out and saw a doctor, but there was nothing we could do to save that fight.
?But Chael Sonnen stepped up accepted the fight with Jon Jones last night. As of 8 p.m. (Wednesday), we thought we had a fight fans would love to see. Then at about 9 p.m. the one thing I never thought would happen in a million years happened. Jon Jones said, ?I won?t fight Chael Sonnen on eight days notice.? That has never happened in the history of the UFC, a guy who is a champion, and a guy who is supposed to be one of the best fighters in the world, pound-for-pound, refuses to fight.?
Let me preface what I?m about to say with the following:
Chael Sonnen is the best politician in sports ? no, really, he ran for Congress in 2010 ? and anything Sonnen does, he does it for Sonnen. He?d be saving the show for sure, but he?d also be getting a nice ?thank you? payday from White, and a shot at arguably one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ? and now I must use that term lightly ? in the sport.
Sonnen fought last month. Sonnen, unlike Jones, has not been through a training camp and likely isn?t in fight shape. Sonnen would be moving up to fight a heavier fighter.
Hey Jon, what?s there to be scared about?
?Chael is just coming up from 185 pounds,? White said. ?He said that not only would he face Jones in eight days, he?d jump in a plane to Vegas and fight him that night if he was asked to. Jon Jones said, ?I?m not fighting Chael Sonnen with eight days notice.? Jones? trainer, Greg Jackson, told Jon that taking the fight with Chael would be the biggest mistake of his life. That?s what he told Jon Jones. Let me tell you, this guy (Greg Jackson) is a sport killer.
?When you are a champion, much less one of the guys who is supposed to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, you are supposed to step up. Jon Jones is a guy a lot of fans don?t like, and I don?t think this is going to make him any more popular. Lorenzo Fertitta (UFC chairman and CEO) and I are disgusted with Jon Jones and Greg Jackson.?
The real victims of Jones? selfishness is the fighters on the undercard. UFC fighters aren?t millionaires. Far from it. An average fighter fights three times per year, and some of those guys get paid about $12,000 per fight.
That?s $36,000 per year (minus sponsors), with management and trainers taking a cut of that.
Jones, who earns well into the six-figures for fights and probably closes in on much more with sponsors, just cost those fighters a paycheck, which they might only get three times per year.
And with no fight to show off company logos, my guess is their sponsors won?t be cutting any checks either.
Undercard fighters reacted harshly on Twitter in the moments after White?s announcement. Who could blame them?
Jeff Hougland sent a message to Jones, through Twitter that read, ?Can I at least get one of your new Nike T-shirts? I?ll give it to my kid since I won?t have any money for her school clothes.?
Charle Brenneman sent Jones a message that read, ?You can send my check to PO box 198. EH NJ. Rent is due the first, so preferably by then. Thanks.?
Hougland earned $8,000 for his last fight in May and Brenneman took home $18,000 for his last fight in June
Sounds like a lot of money, but not so much when you?re getting three or four paydays per year.
For Jones, who made $400,000 for his last fight (not including sponsorship money), it?s no big deal. His title defense only gets moved back a month, and he?ll defend against Vitor Belfort.
So congratulations, Jon, on becoming MMA?s new biggest villain.
Mike McMahon is an Eagle-Tribune sportswriter. Share your MMA thoughts on Twitter @MikeMcMahonET
Source: http://www.eagletribune.com/sports/x493932905/Introducing-MMAs-new-villain
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