« UFC wanted to become like FIFA. They now have Sepp Blatter’s social street cred without FIFA’s $ | Home | You can sell a lot of things as a Mixed Martial Arts promoter, but selling tickets today is the hardest »
Even after Nevada political lifeline, Jon Jones still manages to screw up the PR
By Zach Arnold | September 23, 2014
The Nevada State Athletic Commission fined Jon Jones $50,000 for his brawl with Daniel Cormier and ordered him to do 40 hours of community service. Yes, an athletic commission acting like a courtroom judge. Laughable, but the point is that Nevada’s commission has always been about politics and public relations. This is the same athletic commission that praised Floyd Mayweather for his conduct before giving him a promoter’s license, only to see Mayweather get sued over domestic violence allegations. The same guy who spent time in jail over DV charges.
Essentially, Nevada gave Jon Jones a lifeline here. Pay a fine which will end up being worth it if it means a substantial increase in PPV buys and interest for his fight with Daniel Cormier. Do 40 hours of community service to put himself over as a babyface in Las Vegas. Of all the punishments that could have levied against him, this was tailor made public relations.
And right after Nevada gave Jon Jones his lifeline, he took a giant dump on it. He claimed that he lost his Nike sponsorship and lost an opportunity to get a six-figure sponsor. I find it hard to believe that he lost such opportunities because of a brawl with Daniel Cormier. The guy isn’t a sponsorship magnet because he isn’t likeable, isn’t going to move merchandise sales, and is completely socially awkward. He’s as obtuse about his lack of awareness as Jameis Winston but doesn’t have Winston’s smile or charm.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, Jones decided to go public and complain about doing 40 hours of community service.
40 hours of community service in Vegas with a fight coming up is the only thing that really concerns me.
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 23, 2014
He can’t spend one week in Las Vegas and do 8 hours of community service a day? This guy has three months to complete 40 hours of community service in Las Vegas. He probably has to go to Vegas anyways to do some promotional work with UFC to record footage to get the hype machine revved up for the Cormier fight. This is a no-brainer. Or maybe not.
The fact that this needs to be completed before the fight is definitely going to have effect on my camp. I respect the commission though
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 23, 2014
Any respectable agent or manager would get a guy like this off of social media permanently. Some people can’t be saved from themselves no matter how many Herm Edwards-style Twitter symposiums you put them through. Jon Jones has this uniquely disgraceful ability to wow the masses with his brilliant in-ring talent and yet completely suppress their desire to cheer him on because of all the stupid things he says and does.
Jon Jones is an idiot savant. A savant in the UFC cage and a complete idiot outside of it.
On the bright side, at least he’s not in Wanderlei Silva’s shoes right now:
Official: Wanderlei Silva has been given a lifetime ban in Nevada and fined $70,000 for running away from a random drug test.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 23, 2014
@yay_yee State commissions cannot issue lifetime bans. This was already decided in boxing cases. They can just refuse to license fighter.
— Eddie Goldman (@nhbnews) September 23, 2014
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Any outside chance that Inoki’s group could come up with the cash to bring Wanderlei to Japan for some kind of retirement bout once he’s out of his UFC contract? I’d imagine they would cut him at this point?
[…] Even after Nevada political lifeline, Jon Jones still manages to screw up the PR | […]
Can we get a analysis of the legalities and legal authority of this situation? I know the commission can refuse to give Wanderlei any license in Nevada ever again but do they have the authority to fine him money considering he was not licensed at the time of these incidents?