Triumphant Comeback, or Calculated Distraction?
By Eddie Sanchez
Queue the fireworks and call your mothers, because one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time will be ending his three-year detour to fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the UFC. Jon ‘Bones’ Jones (26 – 1, 1) will take on Ciryl Gane (11 – 1) at UFC 285. This is (or should be) fantastic news for fight fans! Jon Jones is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time, and if not for drug abuse issues, an illegal striking incident, and domestic violence accusations, his status as the GOAT would likely be unquestioned.
Returning from a three-year-long hiatus, fans of the UFC will surely be in for a treat. Can the life-long Light Heavyweight properly subdue the Herculian Ciryl Gane? Will his power translate enough at the higher weight? Will his skills be enough to overcome the natural disadvantages he will face? All of these questions and more will be answered this March.
So why do I believe there are some cynical calculations? …Dana White…
Dana White is one of the most successful leaders in North American sports. Leading the charge, he successfully navigated the UFC toward a prosperous representation on Spike, Fox, and now ESPN+. He was instrumental in supporting Endeavor’s acquisition of the league and led the charge to bring sports back during the absolute height of the pandemic.
So what’s the issue? Well, there are two big ones.
Dana White and the rest of the decision-makers within the UFC have regularly underpaid (to put it lightly) fighters under their promotion. The UFC, like the WNBA, implement respective 20% revenue-sharing models for their athletes. To offer greater context into just how low this is, the NBA, NFL, and MLB are in the 48-51% range. This issue has led to many fighters being stuck with long-term deals with minimal financial incentives compared to their counterparts in boxing, and as it relates closely to Jon Jones, is the reason why he took a three-year layoff, and also the reason why the now former Heavyweight Champ, Francis Ngannou, is no longer part of the UFC.
With Francis Ngannou now a former member of the UFC for the time being, the heavyweight division needed some juice. Stipe Miocic was last seen in a loss to Ngannou, and the division was ripe for some flare. The motivation to book a splash, explains why the UFC was motivated to get Jon Jones to agree to a deal, but given the history of the UFC and Dana White as it relates to contract negotiations, why did this seem to come seemingly out of nowhere, despite being regularly negated within the media airwaves for the past two years?
The UFC needs a BIG distraction.
Dana White, the unquestioned figurehead of the UFC was involved in a public altercation with his wife at a New Year’s party. The two slapped each other in front of multiple witnesses, with a video being released days later. What was most troubling regarding this altercation, was Dana White’s behavior going unpunished by the UFC and in media circles, but as this story dropped, it was accompanied by an apology video. Talk about narrative control.
Dana White was SO calm that White said no further discipline for the incident would be forthcoming. “Here’s my punishment: I have to walk around for however long I live – and this is how I’m labeled now,” he said.
Interestingly enough, it was that exact comment that garnered more negative press than the actual slap did. So what did the UFC do? They concocted a grand distraction the best way they can.
Jon Jones is back.
Since news dropped about Jon Jones’ upcoming fight with Ciryl Gane, there have been crickets as it’s related to Dana White’s domestic issue. One could accurately say that the plan worked.
As it relates to the fight itself, it’s not perfect. Fans would have much rather seen a fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, but the UFC has set itself up well as it relates to a leverage standpoint. The winner of this fight will likely face the great Stipe Miocic, which means that the UFC can essentially play hardball with Ngannou for nearly a year. If that’s the case, Ngannou will either leave for another promotion (PFL anyone) or wander into the squared circle to earn a serious payday before resuming his UFC career, similar to Conor McGregor back when he fought Floyd Mayweather.
The combat sports world continues to show that it is not perfect. With every great fight, there is an equally disappointing story. It’s up to the fans to be aware.
