"Not saying his excuses aren't legitimate, BUT....". C'mon, then why even bring it up and pointing that out? Should have left those words for these dumbasses who comment on the article.
Nog should not be taken lightly. Anyone who criticizes Jones for not taking this, or any fight for that matter, on short notice is dumb. Why risk your whole career and everything you've trained so hard for, by jumping in to fight someone when you don't think you will be 100%?
If being smart and making educated choices and decisions that will affect the rest of your life is "pussy" then so be it.
Fucking meatheads.....

ReX13 Says:
Thu, 05/13/2010 - 16:41

i like Mags, she seems like a funny person wearing the collar of serious work.

Cofield doesn't bother me, although god knows he gets more hate mail than MRuss.

But i rarely agree with Kevin Iole, either in analysis or opinion. Therefore, i think he's a idjit. I imagine he'd think the same of me, though, and he's the guy with a job writing on MMA, so who's the idjit now, right?

Whatever. i fart in his general direction.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...and throw the dog poo on his shoes. aye!

yahoo in general is a toolbox

i like Mags, she seems like a funny person wearing the collar of serious work.

Cofield doesn't bother me, although god knows he gets more hate mail than MRuss.

But i rarely agree with Kevin Iole, either in analysis or opinion. Therefore, i think he's a idjit. I imagine he'd think the same of me, though, and he's the guy with a job writing on MMA, so who's the idjit now, right?

Whatever. i fart in his general direction.

Why do Yahoo insist on having such tools as their MMA writers?

@Rex, So, if this is true,this thread has all been for nought, all these great comment's now just random gibbering, Oh how fucken cruel can life get!

Still think Jones will be a titleholder, just not this year, Let Rua have some fun and defend a few times against pretty much any of above named fighters ( get off me's programme looks pretty good) and give us all some good fights to watch

Jones tweeted: "Just to clear the record i've never turn down a mma fight against anyone and never will.."

Since Kevin Iole is a moron, i'm going to believe Jones is telling the truth.

If Jones had stepped up and been beaten by Nog, people would have labelled him ignorant for thinking he could tool Nog after just a few weeks notice.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

This was the right decision in my mind, Nog is a destroyer and not somebody Jones should ever take lightly. Let's not forget that Nog's had the luxury of preparing for a fight up until this point so he'd be much more prepared to fight than Jones would. Jones, who had no obligation whatsoever to hit the gym after killing Vera, shouldn't be blamed for not being in prime physical condition 365 days a year. He's a young man with a family, god forbid he should actually spend time with them between fights.

Dante Says:
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 20:48

I bet you wouldn't say that to his face.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have seen this before, but I am not sure why people say this. It's like as if we as fans should be scared of these fighters. WHY wouldn't we say this to their face, or any fighters face, it is called having an opinion. IF you say it to their face and they hit you, THEY go to jail. Listen dude be an adult for a minute ok, and realize these guys are pros. Pro's are not allowed to hit people outside of sanctioned fight, if they do they lose license,go to jail, maybe lose their job. Now don't confuse saying something to a fighter and trying to "daley" them. (thats right Daley is now an inside joke for doing a dumbass thing).
Now as for Jones, I was not impressed by this kid, all hes got is to much energy and not enough sense, maybe he turned down this fight cause he realized he wasn't ready for the skills of Nog, and if all he has is unorthodox striking and some athleticism then yeah he actually did a wise thing and said no.
So would I say that to his face...fuck yes I would.

Wise move. He's young. Doesn't need to rush and take a fight on short notice.

Dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't, looks like Bone's camp know what they're doing to bring their fighter along. I'll admit I was surprised to read he hasn't been training since Vera, but there could be a million reasons for that. And I think comparing him to lashley is pretty harsh, Lashley came in with some recognition behind him from pro wrasslin and hasn't fought anyone, Jones is a rookie who's making steady progress up the MMA ladder, just my opinion

@Get Off Me
I agree. And maybe I missed the hype about Jones before Bonnar but I hadn't heard of him, so I was shocked at how he tore up Bonnar and Hammill. By the time he got to Vera I expected him to beat him but he shattered his damn face. Jones is a beast. I think he would ragdoll Nog too. Of course then Nog would instantly be a can.

Take it easy, champ. Why don't you sit this next one out, stop talking for a while.

I am fine with the path Get off me, but I still would not give him a title shot from those 3.

K, vera lost to Couture, and was jones 5th ufc fight, Hamill was never a 'rising star', heck he never made gate keeper, so basically you are just going to read things as you want.... such as bringing up skin color (cuz that must be it right, what color am I?).

I criticised his work ethic as an up and comer and I criticise his lack of it as an excuse out of a fight that has a huge upside and no down side for him. I see him as a comparable to Lashley just not as vocal about it.

Everything else you said is as usual barely english and involves huge assumptions from what I said so again moving on.

@Oyabun and @ccman
The Hammill fight to me was the first test for Jones, going into that fight I had criticized(LEGITIMATELY Oyabun) that Jones had not shown what I call "Death Blow Certification" alluding to the fact that he has dominated but not be able to KO and oppenent up to that point. The Hammill fight was a cat's game to me(Hammill got thrown around and dominated but blew his shoulder out early in that one after the rock bottom from Jones). Jones however proved himself to me against Vera...I can't stand Vera and put him on my top 5 "What the F*ck are they still in the UFC for?" list, my wish was that Jones would have his first KO against Vera in spectacular fashion and he did just that.
Bottomline, Jones is worthy and on the right track to success in the UFC, let him marinate against the Janitor and a step up with Franklin or winner of Silva/Sexyama after that before you throw him in there with an absolute killer like Lil Nog.

@ ccman "allowing me to explain"

I see where you're coming from now. You don't like or respect Jones and that's cool. Do you have proof that DW knew Bonnar couldn't handle Jones? Any evidence anyone knew Jones would manhandle a very strong Hammill who had never been abused like that in the past? Hammill was/is a good mid-level rising star. He's no champ but for a guy's second UFC fight to call him a can? Pretty baseless there too. And Vera who just beat Randy Couture is totally burnt out? Cmon man. He shattered Vera's FACE. You realize that was his 3rd UFC fight right? Should he have just fought Forrest in his debut? Or maybe Rampage? Yeah, you don't want him in there with any bums since he was the highest regarded rookie coming out of nowhere ever right?

Dislike him all you want but you're better off picking something real to be critical of like his skin color or height or wife or the way he looked at you through the camera than trying to make up real reasons why he did anything less than normal by not taking a fight on short notice or by not being in the gym. Every fighter doesn't take every fight offered on short notice. Every fighter isn't always in the gym.

The truth is that his record is perfect* and that's the best you can come up with to trash him. I hope he at least had sex with your mom or beat you up in 6th grade or did something to warrant your hate.

Regardless of what anyone says about Jon Jones, War Bones is still the best band name around, just sayin.

@ccman
So Jones will fight The Janitor next....Evans/Rampage have their fight and winner goes to Rua(I think it's gonna be Evans)....Machida will most likely face Griffin next possibly....Franklin will beat Chuck....Nog will crush Brilz.....Who should Jones fight next out of those fights? I would say not any losers, so I would go with Franklin....I think Nog will fight Rampage in a re-match and take his spot as #4(1.Rua 2.Evans 3. Machida) at 205. Machida may get a rematch after the Evans fight and it will leave Jones v. Nog for the next title shot......
It's a little out there and I am leaving out Silva v. Sexyama, maybe Machida fights winnner of that fight, but this was my logic of sorts for Jones becoming a #1 contender, point is Lil' Nog will be a top contender after two more fights as I believe Jones will as well and it would be very nice to see a more experienced jones v. Lil Nog rather than throwthem at each other right away.

@ccman - I never said Jones was a champ. I said unless you had those pre-reqs, YOUR opinion was worthless. You said you were basing that opinion on what guys did in Pride on 3 weeks notice. What happened in Yakuza Fest is not what we're dealing with now and I don't know how you assume that is the optimal situation for the fighters. Unless you have first hand knowledge of how he has more than enough time to prepare for Nog I'm just calling bullshit. What real facts are you drawing on to support your argument that he has enough time to be ready? Do you have some scientific data that shows that the majority of top fighters all require less than the amount of time normally given to those in the UFC and that needing more than a month heads up makes Jones a pussy?
Do you even know anything of what's going on with him to say that the reported reason for him not being ready is the actual reason?
What exactly makes my opinion better is the use of logic and facts. I'm not saying your opinion has to be wrong. I'm just saying you have no proof to back up your opinion. My opinion is just that it is stupid to hold Jones up to something that isn't even a standard. Are you always prepared to do anything on short notice? People have lives and things come up.

I read what you said- my bad on mixing up your humble part with him not taking the fight early. You took multiple shots at him over him not being in the gym that were pretty baseless. I find it kind of strange you assume he's no longer eager or humble because he took time off. There are all kinds of reasons for him to be taking time off that are far more believable than he lost his humility and enthusiasm. Why just jump on unfounded negative personal reasons? "Maybe he's too busy beating his wife and infant to get in the gym." lmao seriously
Assuming why he hasn't been in the gym says a ton about you.

I think a lot of you have different definitions of "calling out" a fighter than I do. This post isn't really bashing Jones, just pointing out the facts and needling him a little bit. *yawn* No big deal, saved me reading Iole's column.

Allowing me to explain differently;

We BASH Lashley for his 'path' thru Strikeforce mercilessly, Picking opponents and wanting cans or the champ, nothing else. I think you can draw a comparable to Jones right now. Lets be honest, who really saw Hamill having even a punchers shot? Vera?? eh, not really either, thought he might make a show of it for a few minutes at least, but never saw him really taking it. Nog is the first challenge put in front of Jones, and him not training for a long time and expecting to have a long time to prepare for his next fight is unrealistic, and arrogant. it says either he is not taking his JOB seriously enough (it is not like he has the title and is waiting for a contender to emerge). He is an up and coming contender, and anyone who buys a fighter saying they do not want to be the champ is a fool. His 'whatever they say to do' line just disappeared (yes he has said this when asked his place in the division/how long until he wants title shot). If they offered him Hamill again you think he would need 6 weeks? Bonnar? He would take it in a second. Plans?

whats the old saying. everyone has a plan until someone punches them in the face.

Judging by the reaction its distinctly possible that I misread everybody

@Oyabun Good post.

@deadpanda - I could see that as venting possibly but this comes off more like totally unreasonable people trying to find fault with a so far blemish free fighter.
22 with young children and a wife. There's a lot on his plate. Next time he beats someone easily they'll say he needs to fight more than one guy at a time. If he took the fight and crushed Nog then Nog would be a bum. There's a pattern of stupidity and hatred that follows comments on good fighters.

@ oyabun, When was jones a ufc champ? How does this make my opinion worthless? What exactly makes your opinion better?? Was that in english?

And I said his not training for a month and a half says a ton about him, not turning down a fight. But you read what you needed to read.... moving on.

@Almost North

Perhaps you missed the point of my examples. With regard to the names mentioned it was not to be viewed with respect to the winners but rather the losers: CroCop was supposed to beat Gonzaga, GSP was supposed to win. They are supporting the argument that there are no easy fights in the UFC and a loss can come from anywhere. Jason MacDonald was to be viewed with respect to being rewarded for his short notice fight with another chance to fight for the UFC, despite a loss (after returning from being cut for not performing). Whether they end up a gatekeeper or not is up to them. But you cannot deny the UFC looks kindly toward those who step up.

And I never said he would be next for a title shot should he win, only that taking and winning a fight like this moves him up the line more/faster than waiting to beat the same caliber opponent after risking a loss to a relative nobody.

Rex - you're gonna have the disappearing Tron circles in there too right? Right?? Huh spike??

@ccman

I understand the criticism and it is without merit. Unless you're a UFC champ or former champ who's won a title shot or belt off a short notice fight with the exact same circumstances as Jones has now your opinion is worthless.

Claiming Jones, who is a perfect professional for all we know, is somehow not humble because of whatever training practices he is currently using is total bullshit. What does humility have to do with him not currently training? He obviously is not so eager as to make himself into a fool and fight someone when he considers himself unprepared. Fortunately for him he has better minds advising him than some of the folks around here. How you transfer his not being an idiot or doing something people more desperate do into "the success is going to his head" is totally insane.

Wait you guys are right. People who plan things in advance and have regular schedules and procedures are morons. My bad.

People just want to see Jones fight & are venting at the missed opportunity.

Lil' Nog is a fight that Jones should win in, what's becoming his, standard fashion. But Jones hasn't shown how he is on the ground with a dangerous BJJ black belt and I can see why he chose not to take the fight.

Ya'll forget that Jones is a rookie to the fight game in general & is 22. I had trouble organizing when I was going to the grocery store at 22, let alone successfully managing a fight career. Realistically, he has about 15 years to make exciting fight decisions, let him continue to learn & get better right now.

Get off me, i saw what you wrote, I just do not see how you get from Lil Nog to title shot? the top 4 in the division are shogun, machida, rampage, and evans. How do you fight none of them and get a title shot? And the Janitor and Franklin?? fine, but barely gets you above gate keeper from those 2, certainly does not make you #1.

@ North, i did not say he should not take time off, couple of weeks?? sure, month and a half barring injury? No assumption, look at all the top guys, none take that kinda time unless they are healing. Even if it is light workouts and sparring, they constantly work.

saying "Jones explained that he hadn't been in the gym since his win over Brandon Vera a month and a half ago at UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones in Broomfield, CO." a fight where he barly worked, took no shots, and should have looked for a fast turn around to next match?? Do not need to 'know him'. This says mountains by itself. I could almost excuse if he was in his 30's+. At 22 this says he is not hungry or he has gotten cocky, neither is good since he really should be the future of the division.

I think forrest is dodging nog, doesn't want another loss on his belt.........

@ccman
LOL for the Randy Couture thing....I did mention Lil' Nog as the last fight before the title shot and only brought up three fights(as this is what Dana had proposed after Jone's last fight) re-read pls....
I think Evans will beat Rampage(Evans v Jones will be hard to get done i.e. Greg Jackson).

@Nut Log 9000

Guys who take fights on short notice end up as gatekeepers at best. Look at your own examples. I also disagree that it would move up his title shot getting a win. It might move up how us fans rank him, but since when does the UFC give title shots based on anything but business decisions?

@ccman

Saying a fighter shouldn't get to take time off training if he wants to is well....inexcusable. Unless you know him you are just making unfounded assumptions.

Oh and from what I understand steroids are even more helpful with recovery than building muscle/atheltic performance. Just saying.


You both made some good points, just my 2 cents.

wow....tremendous logic going around...(actually being sincere)....I would just like a fighter who is able to fight...( to F*&*kn fight ) how much strategy do you need to figure out LiL Nog brings heat, either you have the skills or don't....my question is what the f**K are you doing not training for a month if you are a fighter....only Rampage does that.....

I said this in the post that announced forrest was out and that brilz was in when people were stating Bones would be a good choice.

In fact...

"Bones needs more than a few weeks to prep for a guy like Afterbirth. This Brilz guy? Nah son, he'll fight tomorrow."

I'm like the Nostradamus of honkies.

At all those who do not understand the criticism;

A. we all lament the lost pride days around here (or many do) where you had 3 weeks notice of a fight, at best, and that was only to gain time to promote big fights, a non-title/Super fight could be as little as a week. I think 6-10 weeks they some UFC guys claim to need is kinda weak.
B. Jon Jones not training, minus injury, for a month and a half as he is vying for a title shot is inexcusable. It says he is not near as humble and eager to learn as he claims. Apparently the sucess is starting to go to his head, which lowers his stock a ton in my opinion. (not to say breaks are bad, but that is a LONG break)
C. @Get off me - you are offering the easiest path to title contention since Randy "i'm Randy Couture dammit" Couture got one in HW. None of the top 4 in your list and he is bonifide # 1??? insaaaannnnneeeeee. How about, Nog, Loser evans/page, Machida, title shot. Cuz i think he has to beat at least Nog to even be considered for any of the other 3.

Yeah...Lil Nog is a sick boxer, sick bjj. He destroyed overlyreemed....Cane. He went toe to toe with Shogun...and I felt that fight could have been a draw. Armbarred Henderson...he is even better at boxing now then he was when he fought Shogun. Smart move by Jones and unneeded at this point in his career. I just feel bad for Lil Nog..cuz this guy won't really help him get a title shot...so he will have to beat a top 5 guy next to get a crack at Shogun or the winner of Rampage vs. Evans.

Almost North winner in RD 1 by way of submission.

I smell a pussy.

Ok. its time I play the other side here for a second; Jones was a fool for turning down this opportunity, period. I am slightly let down by the nation here and how they view the likes of this talented young fighter. While I understand the benefits of foresight on the part of these fighters in terms of singular fight prep, I believe that most of them (and most of you here on CP) fail to take a look at the grand sceme of things when deciding if this was a good decision.

The UFC is stacked full of talent. Every fight can have an outcome nobody expected like Gonzaga's head kick KO of Crocop, or Serra's upset KO of the UFC's golden boy GSP. If we were discussing some thirty(ish) year old veteran who is probably up for his last run at a title that would be one thing, but Jones is young. He has youth on his side and his last fight didnt harm him at all. He simply failed to look at what taking a fight on short notice does for fighters in the UFC in the eyes of the decision makers. Take Jason MacDonald for example, he was released by the UFC for not performing. He comes back on short notice to break his leg, and the UFC says he will be welcomed back when he heals.

The rewards of stepping up would have far outweighed the risk, in terms of Jones' career, taking this fight. Had he won, he would have put down a game opponent on short notice and jumped up significantly on the food chain toward a title. You can say he is not ready all you want, but rolling the dice on lesser known fighters without the upside can be just as dangerous, there are very few easy fights in the UFC. Not to mention that the UFC is known to look kindly on fighters who help them out of a jam, and had he lost, nobody would have thought it bad. He would have learned what the next level fighters are like without suffering much of a hype derailment and would have gone immediately back to the same place he is now. At some point this level of competition is in Jones future, and to miss out on the benefits of taking the short cuts like this is a mistake.

The UFC is all about a strap. Thats it. Nothing else. Either you get to be a champion or you are forgotten. Dont pass on a chance to jump ahead in line for two weeks of training camp. Just my opinion

If I was in Jones' seat I would have asked DW just how much it's worth to him to get me to take a tough fight on short notice (read: double or triple my to show money). But I'm a whore.

Too bad, would have been a great replacement and a great fight. Can't wait to see Jones fight again, and glad he has a head on his shoulders and hasn't gotten too full of himself. I like that kid.

@Almost North, Harry Sack +1


I feel the same way. There's very little that Jon Jones could gain from this fight, and a ton that he could lose. Not to mention Lil' Nog ain't no Matt Hamill. You aren't going to elbow Nog once or twice and have the fight stopped. I think this was a great decision for Jon Jones, and I can't see the reasoning behind criticizing him for making a great decision.

No offense to Mr. Jones, but Lil' Nog should be his 3rd fight, Franklin 2nd and of course The Janitor is next. Dana has said 3 fights and it should look something like that in my humble opinion. If he can get through all these opponents, then he will be a bonified #1 contender.


@Almost North's first post
That's why I'm a fan.

And I'm a CP anti-defamation kinda guy, too. Just very suspect IMO for a writer to call a fighter out in a situation like this..

Failed a drug test? Get 'em! Missed weight? Grill 'em! Abused a female? Kill 'em! But to call out a young guy with an extremely promising future for passing on a tough matchup because the fight was on short notice? C'mon now..

That's like Screech calling out Slater for having a threesome with Jesse and Lisa. It just ain't right.

LMAO @ Rex!

Very impressive. Making Kevin Iole look like the smartest reporter involved with an article is no easy feat.

Almost North>> Good luck getting that out of your head.

FLASH! AhhhhhaaaahhhhAHHHHH! He saved every one of us!

Everyone's dancing around the facts here.

It's not impossible that Lil Nog injures himself in training and the UFC gets Nate Quarry to step in at the last minute. And it's no secret that Jon Jones is scared shitless of Nate Quarry.

He ain't gonna risk it, so shit talk him all you want. Jones is playing it smart.

broomfield, Col. not Conn

Stak>> Naw, playa. You got to jump on some nuts quick if you want to get a decent seat. Wait too long, and you wind up in the cheap seats around by the asshole.

And yeah, CDC called me this morning to pick up X, so i'm home. Working on a piece for CP: Top 10 Fighting Surface Designs. Spoiler Alert: #1 is the Floating Circle of Death from Flash Gordan.

Did Gus Johnson write this article??

Yes, it's that bad.

Too much risk for Jones, simple as that.

Too much to lose, against a fighter who in all likelihood could wreck him.

He's young but he's not dumb. If he can get easier fights for the next year and ease into a title shot that way, why not?

@Almost North

Couldn't have said it better myself.

This says to me that Jones is still humble. He knows (or at least thinks) he needs to be in top form to take out a fighter of Lil Nog's caliber. No shame in that. I'm sure if they offer him the fight with adequate notice after he smokes Vladdy and Brilz gets put away, he'll take it without hesitation.

Jones needed the extra time to perfect his alternating, elbow-inverted-vertical-spinning, whirl-wind kick.


Completely understandable.

Rex

Brotha I'm not saying the guy doesnt have skillz. He is very entertaining and has destroyed those who he has fought. I am just saying before we exceed the capacity on his nuts maybe we should wait until he fights someone a little more proven. I think they should give him Silva next! Also, "bones" is a gayass nickname.

Aint you suppose to be somewhere?

@Rex13

you know Jones didn't bean Hammill right? (just giving you hell)

I was about explain why Jones doesn't have to prove shit, but you guys are 10 steps ahead of me...

Whoa, damn, people, stop reading to much into this. I'm *not* calling Jones a bitch at all--i'm saying i'm surprised he didn't jump all over it. I kinda had Jones pegged as one of those cocky athletes that would say, "i got this, sign me up." Believe me, i am not hatin' on Jones.

Stak >> c'mon man, you can tell by the way this guy moves that he's an NBK. Beating the guys he has beaten (Bonnar, Hammill*, Vera) wasn't as impressive as HOW he beat 'em. When you look at Jones future, you gotta wear shades.


*Yeah, i know. Now go ahead and tell me that Jones didn't beat Hammill.

taking fights on short notice is for people trying to make a name for themselves in the UFC and people who are trying to save their jobs in the UFC. Jon Jones is neither. what good did it do for josh koscheck? all it did was delay his title shot and ended up making him fight more fights than he otherwise would have to get that shot.

@PortlandMMA

i like your style kid, you got moxie.

easy for the fans to say "jones shouldve taken the fight or he's palying it safe"....
bunch of smarty-pants.....
if the fighter thinks that he's out of shape then we take his word for it. he knows his limits.
and im sure if he loses you guys will mock him for making the excuse he was not prepared and say why'd he take the fight on short notice?
make him prepare and be in his best shape for the fight.
war jones.
clean up the LHW division.

"Jason Brilz seemed pretty eager to step up to the challenge in spite of short notice"

of course he did. Jason Brilz is no Jon Jones; Brilz needs every oppurtunity he can get if he's gunna carve out a bigger name for himself in the UFC. If he were to turn down a fight like this it might be the last big shot he ever gets.

Jones has already made more waves than Brilz ever will and the UFC brass love him. He's got nothing to gain by taking a tough fight on short notice when he can turn this one down and get an equally tough fight in a few months when he's fully ready.

Why would anyone criticize Jones for making an intelligent move?

Jason Brilz stepped up because he's never going to have an opportunity like this ever again, Jones on the other hand has one of the brightest (if not the brightest) futures in the game. He will have a ton of opportunities, which is a good reason not to make bad decisions.

I like Jones as a fighter but dont yall think its a bit early to determine how bright his future is. His biggest test so far is Vera who hasnt been shit in quite sometime.

I think he made a smart decision. Why put yourself in an unfavorable position if you don't have to? Dana knows he's gonna be a star so he's not going to hold it against Bones. Jone's has got a long career ahead of him and it would be stupid to take fights on short notice when he's not hurtin for cash and has a ton of momentum going his way.

It would have been a good fight. I have a hard time not feeling like his is a batch for turning it down eventhough i understand why he did.

Rex

WTF?

Ken Shamrock has better stand up than jon jones

&?

seriously. whats wrong with a fighter choosing to use his brains over ignorance/arrogance that might say, "i got this...no problem..sign me up". bones knows how tough lil nog is and probably has a grasp on the truth of how ignorant it might be to take a fight against a guy you dont know much about and shouldnt take lightly.

and when jason brilz gets blitzkrieged into 2011, listen closely, cause im sure over the faint whispers of 'the kid had heart'...you'll hear the roars of, "damn, probably shouldnt have taken the fight on short notice".

just sayin'.

@Almost North

+1

I smell a hint of tit-for-tat aimed in the direction for DW making the comment "Jones will not get a title shot until next year" - Maybe Jones feels like he deserves a shot NOW and does'nt want to fight a dangerous fighter who he gains nothing by beating to save DW's ass on a card where a hugely popular fighter (forest aint my cup of tea, but whatever) comes up lame.

It is legitimate to think that a month is not optimal for Jones to train for a guy like Nog, plus you have to consider that Jon actually has something to lose. Still disappointing to me, but it's their choice to be more calculated or throw caution to the wind.

I think its pretty goddamn unreasonable to criticize a fighter for not taking a match on short notice.

While I do understand the move by Jones, the UFC has always given props to the guys who step up on short notice. I think Jones should have done it, if he wins it is a huge victory against a great fighter on short notice, if he lost the UFC would have loved the fact that he stepped up to the challenge.

Did Dana give he the “You want to be a fighter or not” speech?

I bet you wouldn't say that to his face.

I'm surprised and a bit taken aback by this news. I thought Bones was hungrier than that. I guess DW's plan to bring Jones along slowly and build his reputation is okay by Jones, huh?

War Bones is still an awesome band name, though.