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.

Yes, he is brilliant, isn't he?
 
Back
Top