Muhammad Ali was an unparalleled sports figure. Ali possessed quick feet and hands for a man his size, amazing boxing technique and was a three-time heavyweight champion. Today he is brought up for his presence outside the ring as much as he is for his boxing accomplishments.

When Ali was in the prime of his career he had his title stripped for refusing to serve in the army during the Vietnam war. Ali’s refusal to serve, combined with the myriad of quotes he left behind, has made him a transcendent hero to many people, athlete or not. Ali is often emulated, but impossible to duplicate. Regardless, many have made it their mission to draw on his character.

“I’m gonna show you how great I am.” Those are iconic words said by Ali. They were tweeted by Jon Jones on Oct. 9. Jones is currently waiting to return to fighting, and reclaim the title that was stripped from him for extracurricular mistakes. Those words are also the latest advancement in Jones’s quest to draw parallels to Ali, and to prove to the world that he is righteous.

As of now, Jones’s hardest fought battle has been with the public. Jones desperately wants to be a good guy. Jones seems most interested in winning the coveted title of “people’s champ.” As valiant as his efforts may be, Jones’s quest thus far has been all for naught.

If you’ve been following the sport at all for the past few years, you know Jones does not walk the straight and narrow. Leading up to his fight with arch nemesis Daniel Cormier, Jones teased Cormier with death threats while calling him a pussy because he thought he was not being recorded at the time. After they fought, Jones went on to cite a lack of well wishes and respect for the challenger. As Ali would say, “Rumble, young man! Rumble!”

In the aftermath of the event it was revealed that Jones tested positive for cocaine in out of competition testing. After Jones was not suspended, he went on to be charged with a felony hit and run during his training camp for his next title defense against Anthony Johnson. Ali famously and cryptically said “What you are thinking, you are becoming”. I’m not going to pretend to know about the inner workings of Jones’s mind, or what pushed him to act so recklessly. I can only guess the issue has been a longstanding one. Jones has more or less become a heel, whether or not he wants to embrace it.

Jones is not the first fighter to be young, confident, reckless or any combination of the three. Jones isn’t even the youngest, cockiest or most reckless fighter we have seen in MMA or boxing. Nick Diaz has tested positive enough times to make it a defining part of his character, yet Diaz remains a fan favorite for more reasons than his style. Diaz’s stark realism has made him endearing for fans. Alternatively, Jones’s desire to be seen as am honest Christian man has made fans resent him. Jones needs to embrace himself, channel the dark side and do whatever he has to do to fight like the monster he is.

Heroes are compelling because they have villains to fight. No one cares about Superman stopping bank thieves, they want to see him fight Lex Luthor and save the world. Similarly, I don’t care about Cormier beating people up when Jon Jones is lurking in the shadows. Furthermore, I definitely don’t pay much attention to the king of second place.

Make no mistake about it, Cormier is an amazing human being and athlete, but Jones is superior in the latter category. Until Cormier beats Jones he cannot rightfully claim athletic superiority. In the end, both athletes know the truth. When Ali was retired and George Foreman reclaimed the heavyweight title, Ali peacefully said, “That’s okay, I’m still the greatest.”

Even though Jones may be trying to channel his inner Muhammad Ali as he overcomes his suspension, he’s diving further down a disingenuous rabbit hole. Jones is not the Ali-esque hero he desperately wants to be.

Ali overcame religious persecution and a government issued suspension during the prime of his career. Ali was protesting an unjust war, Jones merely wanted to get high and wasn’t paying attention to the road when he was suspended. It’s easy to understand why Jones thinks he would never get in trouble. It’s easy to see why Jones thinks he is untouchable, Ali understood it too, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.”

I am not writing this to deface Jones. Quite frankly, I love watching Jones fight. Jones is already one of the best fighters to ever compete in mixed martial arts. When Jones is done competing he may very well be remembered as the best. Jones has something special, he isn’t the transcendent hero Ali is, but he has what Ali had, “Champions are made from something they have deep inside them–a desire, a dream, a vision”.

Jon Jones, the world needs more super villains. Batman without the Joker is an impressive vigilante, but he lacks the defining piece of legacy. Become the villain you seemingly are behind closed doors, and eventually go out on your terms. On behalf of your fans, embrace your inner heel, be true to yourself and win back the title.

Bill Watts

Correspondent

