Jon "Bones" Jones on CM Punk in the UFC

[Rick Rudes Mustache]

The UFC Light heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones spoke with Chad Dukes on Chad Dukes Versus The World this afternoon to promote his title fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on January 3rd, 2015. In addition to hyping his fight he also had some interesting comments about CM Punk’s impending UFC debut in 2015.

I think it’s an awesome thing for the sport, it’s gonna bring a lot of publicity. I went to my first WWE match this year and the enthusiasm and emotion on the fans faces, it was like they were watching real fighting in the UFC. I do have a respect for the influence of the WWE and the passion of the fans. I found it awesome to watch for myself and the audience. At the same time it would be a bad thing only because every day I’m at the gym watching these kids training. These guys have no money and they’re training their tails off, giving up everything to be a fighter. Living in the gym, eating turkey and peanut butter, bare minimum to chase this dream and then a superstar like him just gets to jump into the UFC just because he knows the right people and has a name. I just think it’s unfair for the people who have been working their tails off to earn this opportunity. That’s why I really hope UFC gives him a real opponent so we can watch him get knocked out.

Jones’ comments start at the 6:55 mark of the interview linked below.

http://chaddukeswrestlingshow.com/2014/12/29/jon-bones-jones-on-cm-punk-to-the-ufc/

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think Jones has a balanced way of looking at it. Jones gives WWE props, gives fans their props and puts over that he had a good time. However, he also states without being a disrespectful ass that pro wrestling and mixed martial arts are two different worlds. Wrestlers have to be tough to endure the physical strain the business takes on them, many of them are genuinely high caliber athletes on par with just about anyone else in any sport. However, there's a difference between taking chops to the chest and worked punches than having balled up fists slamming into your mouth, nose and jaws over & over.

Jones' response about how it'll bring a lot of publicity to UFC is also true and that's a good thing from a business perspective. However, as I and others have pointed out, it sucks because Punk is being given preferential treatment and has been signed only because he's already well known as a pro wrestler whereas there are men who bust their asses year round just for the hope of catching the UFC's attention. As I've also said in a few threads, CM Punk doesn't seem to mind special treatment as long as he's the one getting it. As a result, I think it's only natural for some MMA fans and MMA fighters wanting to see Punk get his ass royally kicked Punk has no experience as a mixed martial artist because he's never had an MMA fight. I've read that CM Punk does have a background in some martial arts like Kempo, but that still doesn't make him an experienced mixed martial artist. I know how to fry up a burger and microwave a Hot Pocket, but that doesn't make me a gourmet chef.

 

[Papa Pillman]

A thread about a UFC champion discussing the merits of the signing of another contracted UFC talent? Yeah the WWE section of the forum seems like the perfect place for this discussion.

As for Jones's views:

I get where he's coming from and I appreciate him respecting the WWE and trying to play both sides of the fence here, but...

This argument(and I've seen it from other detractors of the signing including other fighters) just doesn't hold water for me.

The UFC has a bloated roster as it is. Anyone who deserves a spot can find a way to get a spot, and if they can't then they can force their way in the door with dominant performances with smaller MMA promotions.

Punk getting a spot on a UFC card is not "taking away" anyone else's chance. They didn't cut anyone or fail to hire anyone who had been working their ass off just because they hired Punk. The two situations are 100% mutually exclusive.

The true facts are that signing a guy like Punk is actually good for other fighters in the UFC, no matter what they're standing, because his popularity and recognizability will help feed money into the sport which in theory trickles down across the roster. I guarantee anyone with PPV buyrate bonuses built into their contracts will be fighting over getting a match on the same card as Punk. Will he be hurting the other fighters who busted their ass for their spot then?

Also Punk isn't promised anything. UFC is a business, if a guy can draw and wants to fight then the company is gonna find a way to get him a fight. With the lack of star power that's been crippling the sport the last couple of years they need every star they can get their hands on. But if Punk goes out and gets humiliated then he'll be shown the door- experiment over. Simple as that.

So this argument that Punk is being handed something and its insulting to the guys who are busting their ass for the same opportunity, holds absolutely zero merit and the people making that argument need to smarten the fuck up and shut the fuck up. Even if they are Jonny Bones Jones.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

This argument(and I've seen it from other detractors of the signing including other fighters) just doesn't hold water for me.

The UFC has a bloated roster as it is.

So does WWE.

Anyone who deserves a spot can find a way to get a spot, and if they can't then they can force their way in the door with dominant performances with smaller MMA promotions.

How is WWE that different? Guys get opportunity by succeeding in their past opportunities. The biggest difference is that WWE is basically scripted entertainment and UFC is supposed to be legitimate sport.

Punk getting a spot on a UFC card is not "taking away" anyone else's chance. They didn't cut anyone or fail to hire anyone who had been working their ass off just because they hired Punk.

Who lost their employment due to WWE hiring Rock, Lesnar, or UT part time?

The two situations are 100% mutually exclusive.

I'd say about 17%.

The true facts are that signing a guy like Punk is actually good for other fighters in the UFC, no matter what they're standing, because his popularity and recognizability will help feed money into the sport which in theory trickles down across the roster. I guarantee anyone with PPV buyrate bonuses built into their contracts will be fighting over getting a match on the same card as Punk. Will he be hurting the other fighters who busted their ass for their spot then?

Don't Lesnar and The Rock do the same?

Also Punk isn't promised anything. UFC is a business, if a guy can draw and wants to fight then the company is gonna find a way to get him a fight. With the lack of star power that's been crippling the sport the last couple of years they need every star they can get their hands on. But if Punk goes out and gets humiliated then he'll be shown the door- experiment over. Simple as that.

How are The Rock and Lesnar experiments different?

So this argument that Punk is being handed something and its insulting to the guys who are busting their ass for the same opportunity, holds absolutely zero merit and the people making that argument need to smarten the fuck up and shut the fuck up. Even if they are Jonny Bones Jones.

I agree but without such fervor. But I think your message about shutting the fuck up applies to Punk's criticism of WWE in that regard to anyone.

Jones seems to be spot on but some of his comments are too dramatic and sympathetic. WWE never owed Punk a main event Mania spot and UFC doesn't owe any hard working kid a PPV spot. Life doesn't always give you what you feel you deserve, suck it up Punk and UFC failures.

 

[rwest615]

So basically he thinks CM Punk is doing the same thing to young MMA fighters that CM Punk complained about The Rock and others doing to him?

 

[laodaron]

An insider is telling the world that Punk is doing to UFC what he hated about Rock/Brock/Batista doing to the WWE, and STILL Punk has defenders. If there are 6 fights on the card, that's 12 guys. If Punk gets one of those slots, that means on 11 guys that earned it and one guy that didn't is on the card. I don't understand how hard that math is to understand.

 

[Blackout]

So basically he thinks CM Punk is doing the same thing to young MMA fighters that CM Punk complained about The Rock and others doing to him?

No, Cm Punk complained because the part timers liike The Rock take the spot from the young talents, taking the main event and getting titles shots without work for it every week.

Jon Jones thinks Punk doesn't belong there more than other fighters that have been doing this for much more time, which is a fair point, but have nothing to do with taking the spot from anybody.

Unlike The Rock, Punk will be just another amateur training every day to win a fight in the low card.

 

[Blackout]

An insider is telling the world that Punk is doing to UFC what he hated about Rock/Brock/Batista doing to the WWE, and STILL Punk has defenders. If there are 6 fights on the card, that's 12 guys. If Punk gets one of those slots, that means on 11 guys that earned it and one guy that didn't is on the card. I don't understand how hard that math is to understand.

This is stupid, there are a lot of events and cards in the year, UFC doesn't "lack of slots" to put anybody in a fight.

 

[laodaron]

This is stupid, there are a lot of events and cards in the year, UFC doesn't "lack of slots" to put anybody in a fight.

They do, though. X number of fights on a card, X number of cards. That is a finite number.

 

[Papa Pillman]

So does WWE.

I get the points that you're trying to make. But its also beating a dead horse at this juncture.

How the hell does this even turn into a WWE argument? Despite the idiocy of this thread being in the WWE section, this is not a Punk/WWE conversation. Making these analogies are completely off topic to the thread. Punk is no longer a WWE employee or a professional wrestler at all. Some people just need to let it go. Discussions of Punk's hypocrisies as they relate to the WWE's main event booking decisions have been done to death. Jon Jones's opinions on CM Punk have not.

*If I were going to draw one parallel though that makes the Punk to UFC situation different from the Punk/WWE part timer criticism, that would be that guys like Brock, Rock, Batista, etc. were brought in to main event. Punk has been brought in to the UFC to curtain jerk a couple PPVs against some cans as a sideshow attraction.*



*But even that analogy isn't really valid, because of the fact that Rock/Brock/Batista etc. are former WWE main eventers who are still draws at the top of the card(well Batista isn't, but you get the point) while Punk is not a former MMA anything and isn't being given such lofty billing. So again; This is a UFC, not a WWE discussion, its conjecture about a situation that is totally different- you know, apples to oranges and the like.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Well, since a moderator from the WWE forum has commented on this subject matter and hasn't deemed it a topic for general discussion or whatnot, I'd say it'll stay in this side of the forum.

The point that seems to be made here is Jones talks about how the UFC and WWE are two different worlds and Punk is good for the UFC because he's a familiar name that can draw viewers into watch his fights.

The other point being made by Jones is that Punk is undercutting more deserving fighters and getting paid much more because of his name and he hopes Punk gets shown the door pretty quick once it's realized that Punk has no business being in the UFC or in MMA at all.

And he's right on both accounts. Also, Punk's tired of the WWE and how he was treated as opposed to being 'burned out' or injured. Otherwise, why would he go into legitimate fighting where he can sustain a broken bone or dislocation in a matter of seconds instead of wear and tear over time?

In all honesty, I'll be shocked if Punk has more than three fights in the UFC before he calls it quits and does commentary or just goes into another line of work.

 

[Papa Pillman]

They do, though. X number of fights on a card, X number of cards. That is a finite number.

Except they can make as many Fight Nights, or UFC on FoxSports1's, etc. as they want. If Fox had their way the UFC would have a first run card on FoxSports1 three nights a week(god knows there is nothing else worth watching on that shitty ass network). They can hold as many cards as they see fit. And they can put as many fights on those cards as they see fit. If someone has earned a spot, then they will get a spot. Punk is not getting in the way of anyone's chance. Finite may be true at the end of the day, but its the UFC that determines exactly what that finite number is.

But why let logic get in the way of a good butthurt argument, right?

 

[laodaron]

No, they can't.. They have contracts, there's tons involved. They aren't going to lose millions on a new guy joining from Gracie's training facility.

 

[rmp0012002]

If UFC guys have an issue with it then why don't they voice that opinion to Rogan but they won't cause they don't have the balls and also know it's promoting their sport.
Punks issue was with guys that were retired like Rock coming back to main event and win the title while the rest of the guys were busting their ass but going nowhere. The UFC situation is not the same as Punk is not walking right into a title shot and taking a contenders spot. He's starting off fighting nobody's so if anything he's elevating those guys to a place they would probably never reach on their own.

 

[Blackout]

No, they can't.. They have contracts, there's tons involved. They aren't going to lose millions on a new guy joining from Gracie's training facility.

What? Do you think UFC have a type of contract that limited them to not create as many fights as they want?

Seriously? It seriously would make Dana lose a ton of money.

 

[laodaron]

Yes. They have contracted dates with certain channels. They can't just make a fight whenever they want to. There's licensing, there's gaming commissions, there's venue scheduling, etc. It's much more involved than "Dana said fight, hurr."

 

[Blackout]

Yes. They have contracted dates with certain channels. They can't just make a fight whenever they want to. There's licensing, there's gaming commissions, there's venue scheduling, etc. It's much more involved than "Dana said fight, hurr."

UFC futures events are not predetermined, Dana White decides where, when and who is going to fight with some months of anticipation, UFC and no one else control this.

He can add fights and change cards as much as he wants.

 

[laodaron]

UFC futures events are not predetermined, Dana White decides where, when and who is going to fight with some months of anticipation, UFC and no one else control this.

He can add fights and change cards as much as he wants.

And this statement shows your absolute ignorance of said subject. Try and find a single instance of Dana White deciding on a Tuesday that he wants to bring a new guy up and then schedules the PPV card around the little new guy that no one has heard of for the very next Saturday.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I get the points that you're trying to make. But its also beating a dead horse at this juncture.

True but if irrelevant conversations never happened the internet would be only Viagra ads and Japanese lesbian spit kissing.

How the hell does this even turn into a WWE argument?

That is irrelevant to the conversation. Probably more irrelevant than WWE.

Despite the idiocy of this thread being in the WWE section, this is not a Punk/WWE conversation. Making these analogies are completely off topic to the thread. Punk is no longer a WWE employee or a professional wrestler at all. Some people just need to let it go. Discussions of Punk's hypocrisies as they relate to the WWE's main event booking decisions have been done to death. Jon Jones's opinions on CM Punk have not.

Let's not pretend Jon Jones' opinions are ground breaking. He is basically repeating what a lot have already said. His comments are similar to what Punk said about WWE.

*If I were going to draw one parallel though that makes the Punk to UFC situation different from the Punk/WWE part timer criticism, that would be that guys like Brock, Rock, Batista, etc. were brought in to main event. Punk has been brought in to the UFC to curtain jerk a couple PPVs against some cans as a sideshow attraction.*

Doesn't matter where you are on the card, a draw is a draw and a spot is a spot. The biggest difference is that UFC represents itself as a legitimate sport and they are adding a celebrity aspect by letting Punk curtain jerk.

*But even that analogy isn't really valid, because of the fact that Rock/Brock/Batista etc. are former WWE main eventers who are still draws at the top of the card(well Batista isn't, but you get the point) while Punk is not a former MMA anything and isn't being given such lofty billing. So again; This is a UFC, not a WWE discussion, its conjecture about a situation that is totally different- you know, apples to oranges and the like.

Fine, then call it what it is. CM Punk is a part of the newest class of UFC - Celebrity MMA. It is good for the sport in that it should bring in more eyes and more dollars but it will take time and attention away from guys who would have otherwise gotten Punk's and his cherry picked opponents spot.

I just want to know when Punk will fight Screech from Saved By The Bell or Danny Bonaduce.

 

[Darkshadow1234]

Some people on this site are very ignorant and stupid like for real.

Punk isn't jumping into the main event or title.
Punk is working his way up. He is busting his ass for the ME and title.
Why cant people see that .
Way too many wwe marks


Punk isnt in the wwe no more. Get over it.
WWE isnt that great place to be anyway.
Stop being buthurt bc punk exposed what a dirty and shitty company wwe is.

Difference between punk joining ufc and rock/batista coming back.
Is that punk is working his ass off. Working his way up.
While rock/batista didnt have to do that. But jump into the title picture.
Big difference.

my opinion.

 

[rwest615]

"Difference between punk joining ufc and rock/batista coming back.
Is that punk is working his ass off. Working his way up.
While rock/batista didnt have to do that. But jump into the title picture.
Big difference."


So you are telling me that Rock and Batista both were just put into title picture? Like it or not, Rock and Batista both had already more than paid there dues in the WWE. It is not like they were both brand new coming in and given the run. You will have to do better than that........