UFC 247: Jon Jones & The Fight For Respect

UFC 247: Jon Jones & The Fight For Respect

By James Lee

UFC 247 features arguably the two most dominant athletes in the sport currently, and maybe ever. The headliner especially will see Jon Jones look to defend his light-heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes.

The Albuquerque-fighter has a legacy that is already set in stone. Essentially unbeaten, only a disqualification loss spoils his 0, with wins over some of the sport’s most notable names.

Despite all the talent, Jones is one of the most divisive fighters in the sport, but oddly, that doesn’t translate to popularity.

Clearly his outside-the-octagon antics and failure to pass two performance-enhancing tests, regardless of the situation, are always going to make him disliked by some. But aside from that, there is something about his personality that is unlikable, as much as he tries to come across in a positive manner.

His tone is one that is difficult to understand and furthermore support. Something wildly disingenuous comes across that will limit his legacy in a sense.

Legacy isn’t just determined by skill. To cement a historic legacy like very few before, Jones needs support from the combat fanbase, and right now, that is in question.

Weirdly, Jones should be loved. A fighter who is extremely dominant with attitude is usually somebody fans find themselves attached to, but most cannot relate.

As fight day looms, the hype behind the pay-per-view card is lacking. The attention behind his contest particularly is low, despite another championship title co-headlining in Houston.

As Jones was once building to become the biggest star in the sport, his situation isn’t too dissimilar to Demetrious Johnson’s time with the sport’s elite promotion. Potentially that is a by-product of the opponents he has fought recently, but clearly, change is necessary.

Right now, it is difficult to see how he ever gets back to the popularity he either once had or was once tipped to have. His return to the sport has been bizarrely lacklustre, despite serial dominance.

His expected move to heavyweight will forever ponder and perhaps could be the answer to him regaining popularity, but with UFC 247 on the horizon, Jon Jones is nowhere near as accepted as he should be at this stage in his career.