FanPost

An alternate opinion on why Jon Jones didn't take the fight with Sonnen


I know we have heard a lot over the last few weeks regarding the events surrounding UFC 151 and its subsequent cancellation. I have gone over fans' reactions on several websites, including mania. People mention valid points and I see merit in why people are blaming Jon Jones. A small group of fans have bravely stood behind Jon Jones and supported his decision to not accept a possible fight with one Chael Sonnen. This is an attempt by me to provide a different opinion on the reasoning behind this decision. This is pure speculation on my part and I am doing this to invite comments from others on this site as to what they think regarding this. I would like to stress that although I am a fan of Jon Jones the fighter, I am not a fan of Jon Jones' personality.

People have talked about Jon Jones not taking the fight against Chael due to the advice he got from Greg Jackson, who told him that it would be "the biggest mistake of his career" if he took it. Another reason I heard people talking about was how Jones had, just a day or two earlier, told Chael that he wouldn't let him talk his way in to a title shot. Therefore, Jones not taking the fight was just him sticking to his word. Some blame must be placed on the UFC for having a fight card that had one marquee fight and almost nothing else to sustain it in case of the main event falling through. Changing an opponent 8 days before a fight is less than ideal, especially if it involves a title.

People have said that Chael is not that much different from Dan Henderson. Chael is a wrestler like Hendo although he uses it a lot more than the master of the 'H-bomb' and he doesn't hit as hard. Therefore, they are similar yet different in how they go about fighting. My opinion, which as I mentioned earlier, is pure speculation, and one I have not seen anyone voice (I apologize if anyone has). Part of the reasoning given by Greg Jackson was the Jones was asked to prepare for a new opponent with 8 days' notice and in reality, this would give him about 3 days to actually train. This was lambasted by fans because Jones was already in training camp, in shape and his new opponent would still be a wrestler. Moreover, Chael would also only have the same amount of time to train for Jones. Right ? But what if this wasn't necessarily the case ? We do know that Hendo had injured his knee about 3 weeks before the fight. He kept it under wraps but Chael, being his team mate, probably knew about this. What if Chael had secretly been training over the next couple of weeks before it was officially announced by the UFC that Hendo was out ? This would mean that he had more time to train for Jones and, if chosen, would be able to step up to fight him with a bit more preparation than people would realize. What if this played a part in Greg Jackson's thought process ? I agree that I have not heard this stated anywhere but what do you guys think about such a possibility ?

FanPosts are user-generated content that do not reflect the editorial opinions of MMAmania.com nor its staff.