By Shaun Al-Shatti – Staff Writer of mmafighting.com
image by:Paul Abell, US PRESSWIRE
To say Jon Jones hasn’t had the best week would be putting things mildly. It’s hard to remember a fighter who took such a dramatic hit in the court of public opinion in this short of a time, and unfortunately, just when we thought the UFC 151 drama was over, it looks like things may be getting a little worse before they get better.
According to a report from The Wrestling Observer, prior to last week’s debacle, Jones got so upset with Chael Sonnen’s Twitter badgering, he actually contacted UFC President Dana White to “ask him to tell Chael to stop.”
Regardless of how you feel about Jones, if the report is indeed true, it’s the last thing this guy needed right now. At best, it looks like one of the greatest fighters on the planet has skin thinner than a fresh-cut peach. At worst, it seems akin to a child running to Mom to get his older brother to stop picking on him, and is a far cry from his “I’m more man than you’ll ever be” rebuttal. Either way, nothing good can come out of this.
Jones’ roller-coaster of scrutiny has been outrageous lately, and while he may be a victim of a slow news cycle, neither him, nor his camp have really done much proactively to stop it. As Joe Rogan often says, “Bones” could be the greatest talent of this generation, but watching a 25-year-old kid slowly, unwittingly dig himself deeper into a pit of public animosity is a tough sight to behold.
Hopefully, if only for Jones’ sake, this whole bizarre spectacle can ultimately be forgiven next month with another display of combat brilliance.
