Just a couple more days out until the Rashad vs Jon Jones fight and I must say I am pretty excited, (ok maybe I am borderline giddy for this fight, I will admit it). I love the hype for this fight, it's been great. The Primetime special, the commercials, all of the interviews, especially this one where you can feel the tension between them, all add up to providing an extra layer to the fight that makes it exponentially more interesting than any normal fight.
But one of the most interesting things I 've noticed leading up to the fight is that, although most people are predicting that Jones will win convincingly, is that increasingly more people are actually ROOTING for Rashad. And it's just not because of the fantastic article I wrote last week (which you can check out if you haven't already). Remember it was very recently that Rashad Evans could arguably be considered the most hated man in the UFC. Just check out the audiences reaction to him here.
But I am going to go out on a limb and say that UFC 145 will be the first time in a VERY loooooong time that the cheers will drown out the boos when Rashad Evans' music hits. And it's not because of the underdog syndrome, where people just want to see him win because the odds are stacked against him. It's because some people have a serious dislike for Jon Jones.
And I am fascinated by this. Where did all of this dislike come from? This kid has finished most of his fights in dominant fashion, has stayed out of trouble outside of the octagon, has been an accessible, fan-friendly pro athlete, and has stayed humble all the way through.
From what I can understand, here are some of most common adjectives I hear from people who dislike
Jon Jones when describing him...
Cocky
Arrogant
Full of himself
Fake(You can thank Rashad for that one).
After watching Jon Jones for as long as I have and seeing him grow from a greco roman wrestler/youtube trained kid in his first fight in the UFC, to becoming one of the most dangerous, entertaining, yet polarizing Light-Heavyweight champions of all time... I can't agree with any of those descriptions of him at all. I see a young guy who is dedicated to his craft, and confident in his skills with the results to back it up. Plus he is an all around good guy.
Wasn't there a time when everybody loved Jon Jones? When did the Jon Jones haters jump off the band wagon and onto the hater train? Although I don't have any official evidence, here is my theory. I think most people were excited to see Jon Jones get the title shot against Shogun when Rashad got injured. He was the most deserving guy at the time and everyone knew it would be a good fight. So that to me is the height of the lovefest for Jon Jones.
If I had to pinpoint exactly where Jon Jones popularity started to become more polarized, let's call it Ground Zero of the Jon Jones Hater Virus (JJHV) I believe it had to start during the lead up to the Shogun fight with this comment.
"It's funny, I've been doing some autograph signings and I've been signing lately 'Jon Jones Champion 2011,' almost as if I've spoken it into existence. I just think it's crazy". MMA Mania
This was far too arrogant for some people's taste. Especially Shogun. Here's his reaction to the comments at around the 3:50 mark. Then closer to the end, Shogun's translator also sounds peeved off at Jones' excessive twittering.
On top of this, after the fight at the post fight press conference, the virus spread even more. Jones had a little superhero moment, where he stopped a robber from getting away with some stolen property. To some I am sure this was an amazing story and a random act of heroism, but to those afflicted with JJHV, it caused excessive eye rolling, and spontaneous clicking of the mute button.
After this event JJHV just continued to spread like polio. It seemed like everything Jones did, people would twist into some kind of evil plot that revealed Jon was a fake and as heartless as the rest of us. Here are a few instances that I think were blown WAY out of proportion because of JJHV
- Jon Jones not looking into Rampages eyes during staredowns.
- Putting Machida to sleep and then dropping him
- Being sponsored by the UFC
It's reached epidemic levels now.
So here's how I look at it. ***Pro Wrestling Analogy Alert*** Jon Jones is the UFC's version of Bret Hart in the attitude era. Here's a little background for people who don't know or don't remember what I am talking about. Bret Hart was WWE's poster boy after the Hulk Hogan era. He had honour, prided him self on playing within the rules and worked hard so he could perfect his craft. People loved him, and the kids looked up to him, (I still know how to put someone in a sharpshooter). After his Iron man match with Shawn Michaels where he lost the championship, he took some time off from the WWE.
However, when he came back, the landscape of the WWE had change. Stone Cold Steve Austin was starting his meteoric rise to the top of the WWE world. Stone Cold was the anti hero, brash, didn't care about authority, he had that WGAF type of attitude. The reaction that Bret got just wasn't what it use to be. To the point where Bret at his comeback match against Stone Cold, was booed for probably the first time in a long time at the end of their match. For those of you who want to relive that amazing match, here it is below. Skip to the 25:00 minute mark for the exciting conclusion.
My point is that Jon Jones is a do gooder, responsible guy at a time when the people love those anti hero types. Jon Jones is too squeaky clean right now. He is too perfect. People afflicted with JJHV can't relate to him. And his attempts at positive messages seem more annoying and condescending, then uplifting. ***Pro Wrestling Analogy Alert is OVER***
Luckily for me, I am immune to JJHV and I can enjoy Jon Jones with out any of those hater tendencies.
So that's my theory. I want to hear from you guys. What was the moment that you knew you caught JJHV? Or do you have your own theory about when and where ground zero is? How can it be cured. I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment, Subscribe and/or hit me up on the twitters @VexedMMA.
Come back soon.
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