UFC Betting – Jones Decisions Help Him But Could Hurt UFC


Wednesday September 19,2012 : UFC Betting – Jones Decisions Help Him But Could Hurt UFC

UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones had every right to decline the option to fight Chael Sonnen on short notice at the eventually cancelled UFC 151 last month. However, it really could have benefited the sport if he had. Jones is scheduled to fight Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 this coming weekend in Toronto, Canada, but even after a six-week hiatus caused by the cancellation of UFC 151 it doesn’t seem as though fans are very excited about the idea of the main event for the upcoming card. A title fight against Sonnen would have done more than save an entire card, it would have elevated the event to another level. It was already easy to understand why UFC President Dana White was upset about having to cancel an entire Pay Per View for the first time since taking over as the promotion’s boss, and the prospect of the main event for UFC 152 has done little to avert the attention of fans.

Jones has openly discussed his decision not to fight Sonnen over the past couple of weeks, recently stating it wasn’t right to provide Sonnen with the “opportunity of a lifetime” on such short notice. Sonnen had reportedly been made aware of the circumstances around a potential injury to Dan Henderson weeks in advance, and was already training for the chance to challenge Jones for the championship even before it was revealed the No. 1 contender could not go. Jones referred to Sonnen’s career record as undeserving of another title shot after the latter lost to UFC Middlweight champion Anderson Silva in his last trip to the Octagon, and was correct in assessing the  situation as having everything to lose and nothing to gain.

That said, Jones’ decision not to fight Sonnen certainly hasn’t helped ease   fans that have been disappointed with the lack of big names and title fights over what has been a pretty dry summer. While there are a number of quality fights on the upcoming UFC 152 card, a lack of title shots and depth in the preliminaries has hurt the buzz generated for the event, and it hasn’t helped that most fans aren’t looking forward to seeing what Belfort will bring to the Octagon. As the youngest champion in UFC history and already considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, there is a lot that Jones can bring to the UFC in terms of star power. However, a lack of big name opponents left to challenge him at the top of the division could prove a major weakness, something that the champion will have to work to overcome.

The UFC 152 event is sold out, but it will be in the Pay Per View numbers where we really find out how fans around the world will take to this event. Jones had every right to decline a fight against Sonnen on short notice, but while that was the right decision for his career, a lack of depth at the top of the division and overall interest in the main event for the upcoming UFC 152 Pay Per View could make it the wrong decision for the benefit of the UFC. For all of the latest MMA news and odds including UFC 152, make sure to check out the best sports betting sites.