UFC 128 Fight Card: Jon Jones Rides The Hype Train
As UFC 128 approaches, the hype surrounding UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones is at an all-time high. SB Nation MMA puts together a post detailing all of the media hits and intrigue surrounding the Greg Jackson fight.
Ok, let’s begin.
Jon Jones assessed his own skills at the UFC 128 open workout (via MMA Junkie):
"I'm not 'Snake' or Overeem. Where (Cyrille Diabate) was really good at striking, 'Snake' had zero physical strength. 'Snake' had zero wrestling, and 'Snake' had zero jiu-jitsu. So I'm not 'Snake.'"
"And when he says he's fought Overeem? Me and (Alistair) Overeem have similarities in being tall. I think I'm taller than Overeem. I know that my arms are longer. I think my strength could match to Overeem to where Overeem was in that point in his career. I look at myself as an Overeem with better wrestling, and better jiu-jitsu, and (a) more unpredictable style. (I'm) a lot different than both of those two."
In large part, Jones is correct. His assessment of himself appears bold to others, but I’m of the mind it’s mildly charitble and perfectly sober. If he’s suggesting he is on par with the current Overeem in terms of technical striking, he’s grossly exaggerating his ability. The point, though, is this: Jones is contextualizing his ability by positioning himself next to fighters who’ve accomplished far more, suggesting that both he and the media fell implicitly the comparisons are fair.
Spike TV this week also released a 30-minute one-time special called “In The Moment”, which followed Jones in intimate settings as he prepares for Shogun Rua and lives his life. Here’s the full episode:
We also have UFC professional MMA fighters making their predictions for the Mauricio Rua vs. Jon Jones main event. It's close, but Jones edges Shogun 21-19 in terms of winning the votes of his peers.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Jones appearing with Josh Elliot on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Nothing dramatic comes out of the interview, but I always note the ease with which Jones usually does big media appearances. It’s also worth noting that due partly to Rua’s lack of English and Jones’ enormous hype, he’s a one-man promotional machine for UFC 128:
It’s a lot of hype to live up to. If he can capitalize on it, a star will be born.
