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ASK THE TORCH: Amadi answers reader questions on Jon Jones at heavyweight, MTV's Caged, and the potential for UFC competition at the top
Feb 20, 2012 - 9:45:22 AM ASK THE TORCH: Amadi answers reader questions on Jon Jones at heavyweight, MTV's Caged, and the potential for UFC competition at the top

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By: Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist

James writes: If Jon Jones moved up to heavyweight and fought Junior dos Santos who do you think would win and how?

A: I would favor Junior dos Santos to stop Jon Jones for the same reason I thought he'd defeat Cain Velasquez; "Cigano" can punch really, really hard.

Well roundedness is so overemphasized in MMA that people often lose sight of the fact that the easiest way to win a fight is to just punch the other guy in the brain; Junior dos Santos has simply mastered the art of punching other guys in the brain. He can stop a fight as suddenly as anyone who's ever stepped into the Octagon, and as UFC Heavyweight Champion, I think he deserves to be favored in that fight.

However, that isn't to suggest that Jon Jones couldn't win; it's just that for "Bones" to beat dos Santos he would need to unleash his full arsenal of weapons, and I feel like while he's doing that, "Cigano" could just punch him in the brain and end the fight.

Justin writes: I was curious as to what you guys think of the show MTV Caged? I've watched it before and it is definitely a "MTV" production, wanted to see what you guys thought and if it's positive for MMA.

A: MTV's Caged isn't important enough to impact the sport of mixed martial arts in any way. To be honest, I only watched the show for the purposes of answering this question. However, I think the insignificance of the show speaks volumes about how far the sport has come over the last few years.

As far as my personal thoughts on the show, I don't particularly care for it. MMA is a sport, it's about competition and most participants don't wish to do any long lasting harm to their opponents. That being said, a lot of nasty stuff happens in the cage. As much as MMA is a sport, it also acts as a platform for athletes from different backgrounds to torque limbs, choke necks, elbow faces and paint the canvas with the blood of their opponents.

MTV's silly teen reality dramas just don't gel well with what we know mixed martial arts to be.

Craig writes: Although clearly the UFC has the monopoly and total control of MMAs elite fighters, how long (if ever) before the likes of the Jones' and Silva's and future legends of this sport are offered more money elsewhere to fight or even paid per fight and MMA fighters become more like boxers in how they do business?

A: Well, first of all there isn't anyone currently in the MMA industry that can offer UFC Champions more money than they're receiving right now. Affliction tried it and they no longer promote mixed martial arts. Extenuating circumstances aside, Strikeforce outbid the UFC for Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko and now they're owned by Zuffa.

The money that comes from television contracts isn't enough to bankroll a stable of UFC Champions, and as we know, the UFC puts on so many pay-per-views per year, there just isn't room for anyone else in that space. So, while it isn't fair to say the UFC has a monopoly on the sport, no organization present or future has a legitimate shot at competing with the UFC for championship caliber talent.

As far as being paid per fight and MMA fighters doing business like boxers, without some sort of legislation handed down by the federal government similar to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, it's unlikely that we'll ever see that sort of change in mixed martial arts. There just is no incentive for promoters to change the way they do business.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @JasonAmadi and direct your "Ask the Torch" questions to mmatorch@gmail.com