From a promoting and marketing standpoint, what is better than being loved? Being hated. Just ask fighters Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. They have parlayed the hate that people feel for them into millions of dollars and immense fame. It is time for Jon Jones and the UFC to do the same. They need to quit worrying about public perception and they need to drop any future public relations campaign. Jon Jones is who he is. He should act like it. In the long run, it would be beneficial for everyone.
Here is a recap of Jon Jones’ controversies. He had a DUI in 2012. Nike dropped him as a sponsor in 2014 for reasons that still remain murky. He was found to have cocaine in his system after his fight with Daniel Cormier. He only spent one day in rehab for the cocaine. He was recently involved in a hit and run where he crashed his vehicle into a pregnant lady and broke her arm. It was being reported that he ran back to grab money out of his vehicle, but did not check on the pregnant lady. Drugs were also found in his vehicle after he ran off. After his hit and run incident, the UFC stripped him of his championship and suspended him. He might not like the comparison, but Jon Jones is essentially Justin Bieber at this point.
That is why it is time for Jon Jones to come to terms with his status. The love to hate model has worked great in all forms of entertainment. Television and movies strive to create villains that people love to hate. The fact that people love to hate certain villains makes those villains memorable. If you read online comments, even some of the most popular musical artists are hated. That hate is similar to the old adage of “any publicity is good publicity”. Hate can make people polarizing. Hate can make people popular.
The love to hate model is also highly profitable. Professional wrestling figured this out decades ago. That is why they routinely have people “turn heel”. They know that people will buy tickets and tune into shows to watch the villain hopefully lose. The UFC has a history of fighters playing the “heel” as well. Chael Sonnen and Conor McGregor are two of the best “heels” ever.
That is why Jon Jones should embrace being the villain. He should embrace being the “heel”. He should embrace the hate that it all brings. He is already there. Nothing he does will change how people feel about him. People’s opinions on him are already divided. People love to hate him and consider him fake. It is time for him to fully embrace his role and see his stardom rise to a new level. From a personal standpoint, what is better than being loved? Being respected. Love can go away whenever a controversy pops up. Professional respect does not. As long as Jon Jones remains the best fighter on the planet and does not lose, people will always respect and revere him for his skills.
It might not be ideal, but it might not be a bad thing. There are worse things than people’s hate. With the right mindset Jon Jones could interpret people’s hate for jealousy. Maybe the hate for Jon Jones really is just jealousy being disguised. He is a good looking guy. He is in great shape. He is rich and famous. He is the best fighter on the planet. And he is a champion. From Jon Jones’ perspective, maybe he does not think that people hate him. Maybe he thinks people are jealous of him. Perhaps that is why he has never played up the villainous character. He should though. He will eventually fight for the championship again and playing the evil character could make winning the belt even sweeter. It could lead to more money, more fame, and more pay-per-view buys. It would be a win-win for Jon Jones and the UFC.
FROM: www. LateralDrop .com