Reporter who profiles Jon Jones talks about the eyepokes

[krolik1157]

I'm sure it's been posted, but Deadspin's Greg Howard just put up a great (and long) profile on Jon Jones and the upcoming Cormier fight.

In the comments, someone asked the reporter about the eye pokes, and here was his reply:

Yea, I asked [Jones], Jackson, and a few fighters about [the eye pokes]. He doesn't try to actively poke people in the eye, but he's not going to pull back, either, if that makes sense. Chael Sonnen explained it best when he said that when you strip everything else away, Jones is in a cage fight with another highly-capable fighter. Do what you have to do. (Also, if you get a warning, why not use your warning?)

So there it is from the horse's mouth -- I interpret it as him saying he likes using that extended hand to get the full advantage possible out of his reach, and he doesn't feel bad if that leads to his fingers ending up in an eye.

Personally, I'd like to see him make the effort to make his hand flat, if only because I'm really, really sick of every discussion involving the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet devolving into EYEPOKE EYEPOKE EYEPOKE, but I'm not the guy in the cage. I'll also say that Chael Sonnen saying what you're doing is ethical is maybe not the best endorsement.

 

[IrishFighterLA]

Some fighters have more pride in their sportsmanship. Use your warning lol, so take the guys out first ... jk

 

[INoHespectChael]

DC should bite his ear off.

 

[Peteyandjia]

It's on the refs to fix this. Obviously Jones doesn't give a fuck. If they don't start taking points on the first offense with Jones, nothing will change.

 

[Hans Gercmiov]

Has Jones ever been poked in the eye? Can't recall it.

 

[CombatCyborg]

I've known this for a while now. Jones will do whatever it takes to win. He has no qualms using techniques that fall in a grey area of the rules or that fans might think are unsportsmanlike. That attitude is also what makes him so good.

 

[ilfirin]

It's on the refs to fix this. Obviously Jones doesn't give a fuck. If they don't start taking points on the first offense with Jones, nothing will change.

This. Points need to be deducted, as simple as that. Start deducting points and I promise you it'll disappear pretty quickly.

 

[Miiiiiiighty]

Lol @ not trying to eyepoke..

This is a very dirty tactics and I hope he sometimes gets punished for it..
It's not like someone of his talent needs it in the first place too..

 

[Kelman]

It's on the refs to fix this. Obviously Jones doesn't give a fuck. If they don't start taking points on the first offense with Jones, nothing will change.

Even if you take a point, a poked eye could still already have a massive bearing on how the fight plays out. A fighter with impaired vision, in pain, and worried he's going to end up like Darron Cruickshank is obviously not going to be fighting to his capability.

 

[MajJamil]

Has Jones ever been poked in the eye? Can't recall it.

I think Gus poked him in the eye

 

[CTEGod]

If that is the mentality, Cormier needs to kick him in the junk as hard as he can after he gets eye poked. Use his one warning and all that.

 

[Gluhov]

cormier should knee him in the nuts. minakov admitted to kneeing kongo in the nuts on purpose because kongo kept pulling on his trunks

 

[RafailNadull]

Personally, I'd like to see him make the effort to make his hand flat, if only because I'm really, really sick of every discussion involving the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet devolving into EYEPOKE EYEPOKE EYEPOKE, but I'm not the guy in the cage..

You still don't comprehend why Jones eye pokes, do you. It's not some unfortunate habit he wish he could change. He deliberately paws with open hands because it will lead to eye pokes (the individual eye poke, however, may well be unintentional, just a byproduct of the pawing) which confer him a huge advantage and make the enemy be reluctant.

Since you still don't get it, perhaps this analogy will help: Suppose I'm deliberately shooting a rifle 5 inches from where your head is. Many times. I absolutely do NOT plan to hit you but I know if I'm doing it enough times, I'll blow your head off. So I keep shooting and blow your head off after a while and thus win the fight. Oh, but it was so unintentional, trust me, I was really aiming 5 inches from your head!

Jones won't change a thing until the ref punishes him like he should.

 

[DizzyYeahYeah]

As far as eye pokes go, KJ Noons and Uriah Faber are worse than Jones and so is everybody else that has poked a fighter in the eye which resulted in fucking up the fight.

 

[Pitier of Fools]

Isn't profiling racist?

 

[Rebel_LioN]

You still don't comprehend why Jones eye pokes, do you. It's not some unfortunate habit he wish he could change. He deliberately paws with open hands because it will lead to eye pokes (the individual eye poke, however, may well be unintentional, just a byproduct of the pawing) which confer him a huge advantage and make the enemy be reluctant.

Since you still don't get it, perhaps this analogy will help: Suppose I'm deliberately shooting a rifle 5 inches from where your head is. Many times. I absolutely do NOT plan to hit you but I know if I'm doing it enough times, I'll blow your head off. So I keep shooting and blow your head off after a while and thus win the fight. Oh, but it was so unintentional, trust me, I was really aiming 5 inches from your head!

Jones won't change a thing until the ref punishes him like he should.

Does Jones have such a huge bearing on your life that you'd go as far as making an analogy about blowing another poster's head off? Shit ain't that serious bruh

 

[adjoub]

It's on the refs to fix this. Obviously Jones doesn't give a fuck. If they don't start taking points on the first offense with Jones, nothing will change.

Refs cant change the rulesbut maybe one warning thn tart taking points instead of warning and then ignoring the eyepokes for fear of fucking up the fight.

 

[UJustGotChaeld]

It's what I have been saying. He is not trying to poke their eyes, but he is doing something he knows WILL poke their eyes, and he does that intentionally, so in the end, the eyepokes are actually intentional. Part of it is the ref's fault. They should warn for the fingers being extended, take a point for the poke.

 

[UJustGotChaeld]

Refs cant change the rulesbut maybe one warning thn tart taking points instead of warning and then ignoring the eyepokes for fear of fucking up the fight.

Refs can and do warn for extending the fingers at the face. That should be the warning. If Jones doesn't listen he can lose points. It's habitual with him. It's actually a move he uses offensively and defensively that is illegal, but he tries to loophole it into being legal.

 

[8KresniK8]

Just start taking points after the first one. Not this bullshit where you get like seven warnings per round before one point is taken.