Let’s pretend Jon Jones had his life in order and that, he never tested positive for anabolic steroid metabolites, ever. Imagine for a moment a perfect world where a guy so physically gifted, so naturally talented, went on to become the greatest martial artist to ever live. Sadly, we don’t live in a world of unicorns and rainbows. Jon Jones will never, ever be the greatest.
And no one is more disappointed than UFC President Dana White.
White’s disappointment with Jones is well-chronicled. The brash UFC head honcho famously declared after Jones caused an entire UFC 200 card to be cancelled because of his misdeeds that he would “never take the risk of headlining a show with Jon Jones again”. That turned out to be false, because not long after, Jones headlined UFC 214 opposite Daniel Cormier.
Dana White says Jon Jones is the biggest waste of talent ever, in all of sports
Never one to mince his words, Dana White was recently interviewed by The TSN MMA Show, and he had a few things to say about the former UFC light heavyweight champion.
Although White realizes just how big of a talent Jones could have been, he didn’t hesitate to air his disappointment at what Jones’ career had become. Speaking candidly, White went on to let his thoughts be known:
“[It would be the biggest waste of talent] ever. Ever, in all of sports. The guy is so talented and gifted, God knows what he’d be doing right now if he had never got in trouble. He could possibly be the heavyweight champion and have the defense record that couldn’t be broken. The list goes on and on of what could’ve been with Jon Jones.”
And while a Jones comeback in the UFC would definitely be good, White says he is over it and basically doesn’t care. Whether Jones gets out of this latest snafu or not, White is no longer concerned.
“Whatever happens [with his suspension], happens. Believe me, I’m not mentally or emotionally invested in that anymore.”
Who’s going to lead the show?
The UFC is severely lacking in real starpower at the moment. The only marketable star that remains is UFC lightweight champion “The Notorious” Conor McGregor. Although, McGregor, in all his greatness, has also proven to be disloyal to the organization at times. The Irishman hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon the entire year. And there are no plans of him returning at the moment, just rumors.
The Irishman hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon the entire year. And there are no plans of him returning at the moment, just rumors.
The UFC’s biggest female superstar, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey was embarrassed by Amanda Nunes earlier this year. After the loss, she did exactly the same thing when she lost to Holly Holm, hide tail and flee the public eye. It’s pretty safe to say that fans won’t be seeing Rousey in the Octagon anytime soon.
The only marketable star yet to come is the returning Georges St-Pierre. Although at 36-years of age, it’s hard to tell how much he has left.
The loss of Jones is certainly a big blow to the UFC’s marketability. With now very weak and dwindling pay-per-view numbers for both UFC 215 and UFC 216 coming in, the organization is in dire need of another big breakout personality.
