UFC
Jon Jones says he wouldn't have done things differently with UFC 151, ready to move forward
Sep 14, 2012 - 1:15:53 PM Jon Jones says he wouldn't have done things differently with UFC 151, ready to move forward

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has had a couple of weeks to reflect on his decision to turn down a fight with Chael Sonnen after Dan Henderson's injury, which in part led to the cancellation of UFC 151. However, in an interview with the Fan 590 in Toronto with Sid Seixeiro this week, Jones said he wouldn't have done things differently given the circumstances.

"I wouldn't have done it any differently," Jones said (transcribed by SportsRadioInterviews.com). "Part of being in the position I am in, I have to be able to make major decisions. With every major decision there are always going to be people who think it's an awesome decision and other people are going to simply hate you for it, but either way if I feel in my heart I made the right decision then I have to be a man and stand by that decision. That's basically what I'm doing here today, standing by the decision to not compete at UFC 151 due to an opponent change."

"We're also fighting at a very high level and there is a lot on the line here and I want to make sure I give myself the best chances and odds of being successful so I stand by what I've done. Another thing is I think a lot of people are going to watch the fight due to all the hype that's around UFC 151. There's a lot of controversy and a lot of people whispering and talking and no press is bad press give or take."

A lot of the negative press stemmed from the first press conference announcing the event's cancellation. UFC President Dana White lambasted Jones and his trainer Greg Jackson and placed the blame for them canceling an entire event on the two of them. Jones still doesn't know why White reacted as he did, but he said he's just ready to move forward.

"It surprised me a lot to have Dana try to belittle me like that but it happens and Dana is a very emotional guy and he spoke from his heart and a little bit out of anger. I forgive him for it. He hasn't apologized but I forgive him and I'm just ready to move forward," Jones said. "Being the golden boy is a lot of pressure and right now some of the fans want to consider me a little bit of a villain and it actually took a lot of pressure off my shoulders and allows me to just focus on being myself and just competing at the highest level. A lot of fans have an honest assessment of who they believe I am and I will fight for those guys."

Ultimately, Jones feels White put him in a bad spot, not only with the last minute fight change, but in the comments he made afterward, and he doesn't understand why White would harm him and his image in that way.

"I think I was [put in a bad spot]. I'm a world champion and not only is there millions of dollars on the line but there's extreme high level competition. There's no one that will make it to a world championship level stage by fighting bums. Everyone at that level is high level. To throw me in there as a world champ against a complete opposite opponent that I hadn't been preparing for and to expect me to just roll the dice, that's a little unfair," Jones said. "You basically put my whole livelihood on the line to make other people happy and at the end of the day if I would've came up short I wouldn't have been champion anymore and I doubt anyone would've lost sleep over it but me and my family so I believe that I made the right decision and my family believes I made the right decision and that's all that matters."

Penick's Analysis: Jones is standing by his convictions on this one, and there's something to be said for that. The sooner he can get to Toronto, get the fight with Belfort behind him, and try to move on past this month and this event, the better it will be for all involved. It's going to be hard to erase some of the negativity he's faced in the weeks since this decision, and there is probably a large segment of the fanbase who are never going to be fans of his, but there's nothing he can do about that at this point. He can't make any real attempts to sway them with anything he does outside of the cage, so all he can concentrate on moving forward is to continue being the best fighter inside of the cage. Eventually, the fact that he's perhaps the most talented athlete in this sport may bring some more over to his side.

[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]