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It’s likely inaccurate to say that Jon Jones has ever “bristled” at a question in his life. Bristling just isn’t his style. But during the lead up to his main event fight against Vladimir Matyushenko on Sunday, it’s been hard not to notice that Jones suddenly seemed to be having a lot less fun being the UFC’s chosen one than he was just a few months ago.
Where Jones’ previous interactions with the media – with everybody, it seemed – were typified by his youthful enthusiasm, his sense of humor and his relentless positivity, he quite unexpectedly appeared to be just going through the motions during last week’s conference call. There were also reports that he was blowing off interviews with reporters and was doing almost no publicity that the UFC’s PR team wasn’t all but forcing him into doing.
He said all the right things during the media call – in fact it seemed like he and Matyushenko were intent on out nice-guying each other throughout – but the thrill was clearly gone. Perhaps Jones is beginning to settle on the idea that being the UFC’s next handpicked superstar isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
“None of this stuff is coming out of my mouth about being the next greatest thing or whatever,” Jones said at one point, answering what must’ve felt like his millionth question about expectations, about managing the hype, about keeping perspective. “It’s scary to me sometimes to hear all that, but it just motivates me to work really hard and stay focused and realize that I’ve still got a lot to learn.”
The question of his age (he debuted in the UFC when he was just 21) and his inexperience (he’s been training in MMA for just a couple years) seemed to dog him even more than usual while preparing to take on Matyushenko. When you’re fighting a 39-year-old Belarusian journeyman who cut his teeth in international wrestling competition back when the embers of the cold war still glowed hot and a former IFL champion with 28 fights under his belt, the “age vs. beauty” storyline is an easy reach for writers. That’s got to get tiresome for a guy like Jones.
“I’m 23 now,” he interjected at one point. “I’m not that young anymore.” It was hard to tell if he was being serious.
You have to wonder if Jones is just flat-out bored. Ticketed for fame at such an early age, the UFC has been pretty upfront about its plans to bring him along slowly. He tore through what appeared to be a nicely ascending ladder of test-kitchen competition in his first five trips to the Octagon. After decimating guys like Stephan Bonnar, Jake O’Brien, Matt Hamill and Brandon Vera, it seemed like he was ready for a stiffer test. Instead he got Matyushenko, who Jones himself has described as “a solid step sideways.”
Few give Matyushenko a chance to really test the younger fighter. At the same time, with the way he sort of zombie-walked through the media recently, you kind of have to wonder if Jones is just going to be going through the motions in the cage against Matyushenko, too. This wasn’t the fight he wanted. This wasn’t the fight fans wanted for him, either. Heck, it’s probably not a fight Matyushenko particularly wants. So what’s going on here?
What’s going on, is the UFC is trying to groom Jon Jones into a better-rounded Chuck Liddell, a more marketable Anderson Silva and a more exciting Georges St. Pierre.
The question is, will Jones have the patience for it?
Chad Dundas writes about MMA for CraveOnline, The Sporting News, CagePotato.com and Versus.com. He lives in Missoula, MT.
