I don't think Dana outright dislikes Jones, but I think he's somewhat ambivalent towards Jones.
He likes Jones because Jones has the credentials of a superstar. He's marketable for the UFC in terms of his victories (essentially undefeated, ran through competition, looks like an athlete). However, he's also an embarrassment to the UFC in some regards. With that said, "any press is good press," and the more controversial that Jones is, the more popular he is for the UFC - regardless if you love him or hate him (and there's many on both sides), he gets the UFC name out there.
Jones has failed to become who they thought he would be. He's not that well liked, RELATIVE to his success. It's his hypocrisy in character and personality (not simply being "fake") that turn off so many people. Dana knows this, and so he's fine with throwing Jones under the bus (putting full blame on Jones for the 151-cancellation) because he's giving a large portion of fans what they want to hear. If Dana backed Jones completely, he'd be alienating a large base of MMA fans who dislike Jones.
Is Jones an excellent and effective fighter? Absolutely. His resume is unarguable, even if some of his opponents were smaller or not at their peak - nobody's resume is full of all opponents at their peak.
Is Jones likely a hypocrite? Yes. His actions often contradict the persona he attempts to portray. He's not the only hypocritical fighter, but his hypocrisy makes his success all that more distasteful. However, is his hypocritical character relevant to his success in fighting? It certainly doesn't have to be, but for many, it is.
Is Jones a bit of a PR clusterf***? Yes. He often does and says boneheaded things, sticks his foot in his mouth, etc...that's still press for the UFC, but Dana knows that sometimes throwing Jones under the bus gets people going more than if he were to back Jones completely.
Bottom line: If Pettis, McGregor, Machida or Overeem had Jones's resume of success, I think Dana would be much happier with them as the face of the UFC.
He likes Jones because Jones has the credentials of a superstar. He's marketable for the UFC in terms of his victories (essentially undefeated, ran through competition, looks like an athlete). However, he's also an embarrassment to the UFC in some regards. With that said, "any press is good press," and the more controversial that Jones is, the more popular he is for the UFC - regardless if you love him or hate him (and there's many on both sides), he gets the UFC name out there.
Jones has failed to become who they thought he would be. He's not that well liked, RELATIVE to his success. It's his hypocrisy in character and personality (not simply being "fake") that turn off so many people. Dana knows this, and so he's fine with throwing Jones under the bus (putting full blame on Jones for the 151-cancellation) because he's giving a large portion of fans what they want to hear. If Dana backed Jones completely, he'd be alienating a large base of MMA fans who dislike Jones.
Is Jones an excellent and effective fighter? Absolutely. His resume is unarguable, even if some of his opponents were smaller or not at their peak - nobody's resume is full of all opponents at their peak.
Is Jones likely a hypocrite? Yes. His actions often contradict the persona he attempts to portray. He's not the only hypocritical fighter, but his hypocrisy makes his success all that more distasteful. However, is his hypocritical character relevant to his success in fighting? It certainly doesn't have to be, but for many, it is.
Is Jones a bit of a PR clusterf***? Yes. He often does and says boneheaded things, sticks his foot in his mouth, etc...that's still press for the UFC, but Dana knows that sometimes throwing Jones under the bus gets people going more than if he were to back Jones completely.
Bottom line: If Pettis, McGregor, Machida or Overeem had Jones's resume of success, I think Dana would be much happier with them as the face of the UFC.
