UFC Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Liddell has criticised current MMA star Jon Jones for being too conservative, comparing the light heavyweight to former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
As Lewis McKeever of Bloody Elbow reported, Liddell was speaking to Snoop Dogg on GNN about his career since retiring from UFC, and talk turned to Jones, who is rated as one of the greatest fighters of all time. But Liddell insisted he could do a little more to entertain the fans:
He fights too safe. Here’s the problem. Like GSP [Georges St-Pierre]. I love GSP. He's a great fighter. He makes some really good guys look stupid, but he doesn't try to finish fights. He likes to go out, beat you, follow the game plan, make sure he wins the fight.
I understand that from a manager or coach's standpoint, but from a fan's standpoint? I don't want to watch it. I don't want you to go out and do just enough to win. I don't mind if you win by decision but I just want you to try to finish him. Go after him. Try to hurt him.
Here’s a look at Liddell’s interview with Snoop Dogg in full:
The allegations levied at Jones seem a little peculiar. After all, he’s one of the most vibrant competitors around, regularly trying flashy moves, unorthodox combinations and different ways to secure the upper hand in fights. Often, he looks to fight to his rival’s strengths too, taking down previous opponent Daniel Cormier, who was previously an Olympic-level wrestler.
But we haven’t seen him in the Octagon since January 2015, where he beat Cormier to defend the UFC light heavyweight title.
It’s been a tough time for the man known as “Bones” recently, having pleaded guilty in an Albuquerque, New Mexico, court to leaving the scene of an accident after running a red light and crashing into a rental car. On Tuesday, he discovered he would not serve any jail time.
Chamatkar Sandhu of MMA Junkie thinks that after avoiding jail, he’ll be back in action in the UFC sooner rather than later:
With no jail time I think all roads now lead to not if but when will Jon Jones return to the Octagon?
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) September 29, 2015
In fairness to Jones, 15 of his 25 wins in professional MMA have come inside the distance, and while his last three have gone the full five rounds, his bout against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 was awarded the 2013 Fight of the Year, and his battle with Cormier at UFC 182 was Fight of the Night.
GSP, like Jones, is a wonderful technician, but only eight of his 25 wins have come inside the distance. Indeed, the Canadian’s last seven bouts, although he won them all, all went down to the judge’s scorecards, with GSP becoming much more cerebral inside the Octagon, utilising his boxing and wrestling skills.
Liddell’s pugnacious style when he stepped foot in the Octagon meant he was always likely to favour a more full-on approach to fighting. As we can see here, he was a fighter who hit hard and tried to finish opponents quickly:
With more and more at stake, it does seem as though Jones has become a little more conservative, but with just one loss on his record, it’s a trait that has clearly worked well for him. As fighters move up the ladder, it becomes more and more difficult to knock opponents out too, as recklessness is ruthlessly punished.
The fact that GSP and Jones share just three professional losses between them says a lot. They’re both completely different fighters, but each has winning as a priority, with heavy knockouts seemingly an added bonus. It may not be to the taste of a big hitter like Liddell, but plenty will look back in reverence at their impeccable records as a result.
