UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all-time.
However, he’s not undefeated. No, Jones was defeated by one Matt Hamill back in December 2009 thanks to a series of illegal 12-6 elbows. It’s a loss that UFC President Dana White has campaigned vehemently to have overturned in recent weeks. Hamill offered his thoughts on the matter, ‘agreeing’ to rematch Jones in the Octagon.
Jones soon answered all of the talk, stating he simply had no desire to fight ‘The Hammer’ again almost 10 years after the fact. The perceivably unnecessary defeat may be getting to White and even Joe Rogan, but it isn’t having the same effect on the champ. His career has been a legendary one despite its obvious roadblocks due to PED scandal and outside-the-cage arrests. Jones is now set to take on Thiago Santos in the main event of tomorrow’s (Sat., July 6, 2019) UFC 239 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Record Speaks For Itself
“Bones” revealed during this week’s UFC 239 media day via MMA Junkie that his record speaks for itself. That said, he does see the benefit in him being undefeated from a promotional standpoint:
“Look at the history books, man,” Jones said. “It doesn’t lie. If you look at my record, those numbers don’t lie. Honestly, I do see the good in it. I think it’d be great for the organization to market an undefeated champion.”
Stress Relief
However, he’s not in a rush to be deemed undefeated again. Jones admitted it takes a lot of stress off his back to not have the pressure of carrying said moniker heading into each and every title defense. Either way, he sees the benefits of both sides of the coin here:
“Personally, it takes a lot of stress off me to not be this undefeated champion,” Jones said. “But I do see the good in it. Floyd Mayweather. Boxing has Floyd Mayweather. He means a lot to the sport of boxing. I see how my legacy means a lot to the sport, and if Dana wants me to be undefeated, I don’t think too many people would argue with him.”
There’s no denying that the UFC being able to promote Jones as not only their best fighter but an undefeated legend would be extremely beneficial to their bottom line. Jones relishes in not having that added pressure, yet he does understand the allure of it as well. Due to the fact it would most likely add several zeros to his pay-per-view (PPV) events moving forward, the UFC may choose to pursue the result change quite forcefully.
Should Jon Jones’ only loss be overturned?
