Jones vs. Sonnen: Good TV vs. good competition
It’s seems what makes good TV is an obnoxious mouth that may eventually get you punched in the face. Look…
It’s seems what makes good TV is an obnoxious mouth that may eventually get you punched in the face. Look what happened to Snooki in the first season of Jersey Show.
Recently it was announced that Jon Jones will coach the new season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF)
opposite Chael Sonnen. Then the two will meet on April 27, 2013 at an unnamed UFC event.
Although Sonnen hasn’t competed at 205 since a fight with Trevor Prangley in 2006, there’s a reason he’s been rushed to the top of the mountain to battle one of the pound-for-pound’s best fighters in the world. There’s a gotta be a reason right?
Is it because it’ll make good television? Will he produce come fight night and put Jones on his back, pummeling him with shots like he did Anderson Silva when they first met?
One thing is for certain Sonnen knows how to verbally rip off a band-aid when it comes to promoting fights. Maybe the UFC believes that same bravado will catapult the dying TUF show out of ratings hell.
Ever since TUF moved to FX, sadly, the show has been on a decline. The past few seasons, although delivering stunning battles in the octagon, haven’t produced any real reality TV feuds (which draw new viewers in) since Junie Browning vs. everyone else on season eight.
Is Sonnen what the show needs to get the entertainment aspect back in the limelight so others will chat about it at the water cooler? Although Sonnen knows how to sell fights, it does seem sudden that he’s been given a shot at Jones without proving he deserves one.
He has yet to fight a top five light heavyweight (he was scheduled to meet Forrest Griffin, but that fight has since been cancelled) and he’s coming off a loss. Shouldn’t he have to prove his worth just like any other contender that’s looking to take the title away from the champion?
Right now it seems there are others in the light heavyweight division that are more deserving of a title shot over Sonnen (Alexander Gustafsson, Dan Henderson, Phil Davis to name a few). It makes me wonder if trash-talk and good television is just as important, if not more important, than winning fights.
Underground Blogger DeLeon DeMicoli writes and trains in San Francisco, CA. He is currently writing a novel on Mixed Martial Arts.
If you or somebody you know trains in martial arts and has an interesting story they would like to share, please email deleon365@gmail.com