Jon Jones is a Genius and this whole thing is a spectacular work!

If the UFC approves of an interim title match between Gus and DC then this whole thing was a work to drum up attention to the league's premiere division and we all should LOVE IT.

This is Mayweather 101. Jones KNOWS he has to fight Gus again. He wants to fight for the big bucks though, and since the bulk of his revenue comes in the form of PPV buys it would be in his best interest to not accept a fight with his toughest opponents unless he has drummed up enough anticipation for the fight. Here's what Jones means when he says "I guide my career not the fans", none of us are gonna pay his bills when he retires.

There isn't a LHW in the picture for him other than these two men, which means that in all likelihood the biggest chance he's ever going to have at getting a big money fight is the Gusttaffson rematch. Both DC and Gus have a stylistic advantage that posses a threat to Jones title. However of those two fighters, the one that poses the worst physical threat to jones is Gustafson. Dc's pathway to victory is one that leaves little room for a violent back and forth, someone is gonna get dominated. Gus and Jones matchup in a way that no one escapes unhurt. If you're keeping your career in mind, why accept your hardest and most career threatening fight with the prospect of getting a measily 300k in ppv buys? Wouldnt you want that fight to be the one that hits the million mark?

So when Jones says he'd rather fight DC, what he's saying isn't that DC is easier or that he's afraid to fight Gus, what I think he's saying is "the guy that peple want me to fight the most is Gus, I know it you know it, if you want to see it again show me some numbers". Gus is the great white hope, he's the high profile rematch. And as such that fight should be built up to as high a degree as possible, it shouldnt be just another fight.

Now here's the kicker, DC has the potential to be as big a rival to Jones as Gus if not more so! The best bet is to have DC fight Gus and win before fighting Jones so fans can fully back DC as the face to Jone's Heel. Which is why I think that they are going to do the interim match between DC and GUS. It's a Win WIN for all parties involved. DC gets to dethrone the Number 1 contender or Gus gets to prove that He's the man to beat Jones. Both DC and Gus have fans that know they can beat Jones, and more importantly have fans who HATE jon jones. The winner of the interim belt would not only have proven that they deserve the shot, but more importantly they would have undoubtedly gained the support of ALL the Jones Haters. The fans that supported DC and Gus would merge in support of the winner between the two. This essentially creats a fan driven mandate to go kick Bone's (the bad guys) ass. This equals in a HUGE pay day for Jon Jones, and in the long run if he wins he still in all likelihood fights either of those guys more than once, except now they are names and people are making money. Jones isn't in it for someone to pat his back, he's done so much in his career that if he hasn't proven his worth to you by now he likely never will, so he's made the smart choice and decided that if you wont support him with your hearts, you'll do it with your wallets. Good for Jones, this is the type of play that takes power back in the hands of the fighter. It's not personal just great business.

The three way rivalry goe back as far as professional fighting does, Leonard Hagler Hearns being the best example, history remembers that they all fought each other, but what history forgets is that for 5 years Sugar Ray Leonard ducked and dodged Marvin Hagler who was likely his toughest opponent. When they finally did fight, Leonard fought beautifully and won. But only after making that fight into a huge spectacle. Bottom line is the UFC is stagnant right now and needs some serious attention. Their brightest talent is Jon Jones and he isn't a draw, a scenario like this one with Gus and DC is the best chance he has at becoming if not a well loved and adored hero; the scorned and hated King that everyone tunes in to watch lose. Nobody wants to be the good guy in athletics, they want to be the remembered one. Especially in fight sports, big up to Bones Jones for knowing how to play the game.

 

If he could sell ppvs sure, it's genius. What do you call it when everybody hates you and you still can't sell ppvs?

 

Mental health problems ?

 

Nice theory. If Jones were a company guy, then it would be somewhat plausible - but he's no Iceman (in his words) or Chael P.

 

Everyone hates Floyd for doing it, so why shouldn't we feel the same about Jones?

 

How is the scenario I described in which you build up a number 1 conender who is both widely supported by hardcore fans as the man to take the belt and a situation in which mainstream fans are going "Oh MAN the UFC just named somebody else Interim because the real Champion is scared!" not one in which Jones is both hated and a draw?

 

1. I didnt say you should love Jon Jones, I said you should love this whole scenario for the sport. You should WANT jones to run. He's gonna have to fight both of them eventually, but more than seeing your guy win you should want huge big drama title fights.
2. Guess what Floy doesnt give a s***. Tell it to his billion dollars. All your doing is proving my point that Jones is a genius because he's seeing the forest for the trees.

 

Jones isn't a company guy he's a Jones guy. Which is why this is a great scenario for him. He's not being paid in likes, he's being paid in people who come to watch him fight.

 

They hate Floyd yet buy the PPVs hoping to see him lose. Being hated or loved is good in the fight game, it's when people are indifferent to you that it's a problem.

 

What a crock of shit.

 

The difference between how Floyd markets himself is hes actually effective and sells ppvs and most know he's actually a decent guy outside the ring.

Jones on the other hand acts like a teenage girl in his videos and most know of his outside cage antics (DUIs n crashing, bashing fans over petty things)

 

Put yourself in Jone's shoes. You want your opponents fans to really hate you so that they pay to watch you fight. So what's the last thing a Gustaffson fan wants to hear Jon Jones say about Alex?
"I already beat him guuuuys... did you forget?"
What about a DC fan what's the last thing they want to hear Jones say when they and by they I mean WE (DC fan) think that Jones has NOTHING for DC in a stylistic matchup?

"I rather fight DC" - implying that it's an easier fight or that he aint worried about DC at all.

JONES IS TROLLING US AND HES DOING A DAMN GOOD JOB AT IT.

An even better scenario than the one he's already created would be that DC and Gustaffson fight a title eliminator and even get an interim belt. Because now when they fight Jones it's not about who gets the title, it's about WHO IS THE REAL CHAMP.
It's so genius that it's actually making me a fan of Bones, I even liked the eye poke response video where he made fun of sherdoggers crying. It's refreshing to see a champ know his worth. Good stuff from Johnny Boy, dont hate the player.

 

Being pretty close to some people who have trained around Floyd and know him, I can tell you he is every bit as egotistical and selfish as he comes off on TV. The difference is he's even SMARTER than his is arrogant. I've seen floyd say some of the pettiest things on earth you're crazy. It's cool to like Floyd now but that's because his success is impossible to deny at this point, but it wasn't always like that.

 

Jones is a business, and what do businesses try to avoid as much as possible? That's right: Loss. That's what fighting DC and Gus would have guaranteed him. Of course he's trying to spin it as a genius business move. The sad reality is he's not afraid of DC nor Gus, he's afraid of losing to them, which is a very realistic scenario if he's forced to face both. Embarrassing champ

 

TS - that is actually an interesting thought, I can see your angle being possible.

 

Jon the cherry picker Jones

 

You sir are both a gentleman and a scholar

 

Jones is using the only leverage a UFC champ has against the UFC.

If they want him to fight Gus instead of Cormier, they should pay him a bit extra and get it done.

It doesn't matter to me who Jones fights first but clearly a close win or loss against DC sets up a three dog fight for the MW title. If Jones beats Gus again then Gus is out of title contention for a long time. If Jones fights Cormier first and it's close - all three guys are going to cash in on popular trilogies.