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Jon Jones says Anderson Silva superfight 'can happen,' but doesn't want to be 'guy who beat' Silva

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Jon Jones says Anderson Silva superfight 'can happen,' but doesn't want to be 'guy who beat' Silva Empty Jon Jones says Anderson Silva superfight 'can happen,' but doesn't want to be 'guy who beat' Silva

Post  freakzilla Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:41 am

http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/10/29/3564782/morning-report-ufc-jon-jones-vs-anderson-silva-superfight-can-happen-dana-white-tuf-16

Little by little, windows keep cracking open that could make the biggest fight in the history of MMA a reality.

First it was UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Following Dana White's promise that blank check was on the table for a bout against fellow UFC champ Jon Jones, "The Spider" admitted it may be difficult for Jones to reject such an overwhelming amount of money, and if the superfight did happen, it would need to be at a catchweight with neither man's belt up for grabs. While reluctant, that sentiment was still a far cry from Silva's generally staunch refusals.

Meanwhile, Jones, who's been upfront about his own lack of interest in the fight, has recently been making the media rounds in Brazil and it seems as if the elephant-sized, dangling carrot of a monster payday has already started softening his initial hardline stance.

"I respect [Silva] a lot," Jones said to Brazilian outlet Correio Braziliense. "As I said several times, I do not want to be the guy who beat Anderson, and do not want to be the guy who lost to him. Anderson is a great champion, I'm a great champion. We both..." At that point Jones trailed off, before picking back up. "I don't know. I don't know.

"I'm not saying that the fight will not happen. It can happen. But it's not something I'm chasing.

"I don't believe that I need to fight with Anderson to be the best in the world," Jones concluded.

While this obviously isn't the most ringing endorsement, just like Silva, it's miles away from where we were in this discussion a mere month ago. Neither man particularly wants it, but after a certain point, the allure of the dollar can be a powerful mistress.
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Jon Jones says Anderson Silva superfight 'can happen,' but doesn't want to be 'guy who beat' Silva Empty Re: Jon Jones says Anderson Silva superfight 'can happen,' but doesn't want to be 'guy who beat' Silva

Post  captainanddew Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:26 pm

I find this statement a little bizarre.

I understand not wanting to push too much for the fight as you are going to have the natural size difference and you don't want to come off as looking to take out a smaller and older, legend. But talking against the fight is a bit much.

Do any of the major guys in the sport have anyone training them on media interviews. Cliched, but respectful answers are the way to go unless you are the type of guy that gets respect for just saying what you think (usually works for a fighter that people relate to as a "normal guy".

He really should have said that Silva is a legend, I respect him greatly, my team is exploring all options, and a fight with Silva is one of those options.

Sounded to me like he not only doesn't really want the fight, but also a fear of possibly losing (which I don't think he had in some of his recent fights).
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