Contrary to what many people are saying on Facebook and Twitter, the main event at UFC 145 between former training partners and friends Jon 'Bones' Jones and 'Suga' Rashad Evans was a great fight, a case where tactics played more of a role than blind rage.
It had the feel of the old heavyweight boxing matches that I fell in love with growing up in the early '90s, with punches and some counters, hard elbows, and a little bit of flair thrown in from the two fighters.
But what really intrigued me were the entrances.
Evans came in first as the challenger. As Immortal Technique's 'The Point of No Return' blared all over Phillips Arena in Atlanta, he walked in with a look of sheer determination, unlike the silly sauntering fans that fans expect. This was, in announcer Joe Rogan's words, "the fight of his life." It gave me Goosebumps.
Then came Jones' turn. He played a short clip of 50 Cent's 'God Gave me Style' along with one of my favorite songs ever, Jadakiss' 'The Champ is Here.' I should have been excited as the champ walked into a sold out arena with two amazing songs pumping into the ears of the masses.
But as he sauntered out into battle with a swagger that I haven't seen in a champ since Mike Tyson during his heyday, I couldn't help but stare at the three white letters that were on the chest of his warm-up gear.
UFC.
Something just bugged me about those three letters. It deeply bugged me. Here is a sport fighting for relevance in the national scene, a sport that is really on the cusp of something greater than UFC president Dana White ever dreamed of. And to sponsor any fighter, it just makes things seem...wrong.
I felt like I was watching WWE superstar John Cena come in the ring, or even The Rock, when he was coming in the ring in the mid-'90s with CEO Vince McMahon. Jones might as well have had White walk alongside him, taunting the crowd, jeering and posturing with his champ, his moneymaker, his asset. As he ended the grueling five-round, 25-minute match, with hand in air and belt around waist, I couldn't help but feel discomforted about the whole spectacle.
I'm not here saying that Jones or the UFC cheated in this match. He clearly outclassed Evans, who never threw multiple combination punches after the first round, and was powerless against the reach of Jones and the speed in which he unleashed his elbows on the face of the former champ. Jones clearly and undisputedly won that match.
I'm just saying that it just feels awkward, considering we're in the age when we question every single thing that is wrong with officiating. With some people even conceding that commissioners in various sports 'fix' games in order to achieve higher ratings, it's odd that we are okay with allowing this without really discussing it.
Jones is a great guy for this league. He is immensely talented and has just enough flair to please the novice fans. But as far as corporate dollars and sponsorships are concerned, he should be left out of that arena.
Now I know that there are people who think that I'm crazy for thinking this, but let's extend this analogy for a second.
Lets say that the NBA had a meeting and decided today that five-time champion Kobe Bryant suddenly was the face of the league. In commercials, during games all over NBA Arenas, wherever you went, you would see Kobe as the sole person assigned with the 'task' of representing the league, apparel-wise.
Wouldn't you feel weird about that?
Jones and his manager Malki Kawa both insist that the UFC branding isn't permanent, that he is looking for a major brand like Nike, Under Armour, or Adidas. But I am not a fan of his name attached to the league like it is.
If the UFC is to be taken seriously, this should end with Jones.
Email: nathaniel.smith@ubspectrum.com
