Trash talk is what makes fights interesting – giving a storyline to a fight and increasing the stakes for both the fighters and audiences. Sometimes fighters need to thrash talk or have shade being directed at them to get fired up for a fight. So when Stipe Miocic called Jon Jones a ‘b—h’, albeit playfully, the heavyweight champion picked this exact opportunity to build animosity towards his opponent. It just seems like Jones fights better when things are personal, as was the case in his bouts with Daniel Cormier and his second fight against Alexander Gustafsson.

This was exactly what former two-weight champion Daniel Cormier alluded to, when he asked Jon Jones is he prefers his bouts against his opponents being personal. To provide some context, Jon Jones is annoyed with Miocic on two fronts. Here’s what the heavyweight champion said about Miocic, when DC asked him is he thrives of the chaos of making fights personal – “It’s hard to say, DC, you know. I remember when you and I were fighting. I was just so passionate about it, you know. And like, I didn’t want you to have one day over me in training, you know. I remember, I think we both trained on Christmas Day, trying to beat each other.”

Jon Jones further recalled a moment where he felt hurt at certain words uttered by Stipe Miocic – “I found a video a few months ago, where he was in his living room and someone was talking about, you know, me and my legacy, and he was just like, ‘My kids will never look back and look at me as an a—ole.’ And I’ll find the quote. But he said it.” ‘Bones’ continued,  “I’ll never forget the way I felt that day. I thought to myself, ‘Okay, you’re another one of these fighters who hate me for no reason at all.’ And then when he called me, you know, a b–ch, I was just like, ‘It’s clear that you don’t respect me, and which is unfortunate. Which is unfortunate, because I hadn’t had anything but respect for Stipe.’”

Jon Jones was clearly upset with Miocic’s words. And as far as animosity towards his opponent is concerned, the HW champion claimed that he could set aside all of his emotions when he entered the MMA cage. As soon as Jones’ words became public and began making rounds on the internet, yet again fight fans were quick to react with comments under the post shared by ESPN MMA. Let’s see what the fighting community had to say.

Jon Jones receives a reality check as the interview with Daniel Cormier goes viral

Little did Jon Jones know that his words would come across as a reflection of his insecurities to some fans. Jon Jones clearly doesn’t like people disrespecting him, and channels his anger or annoyance in his fights. However, that anger is a double-edged sword as it can sometimes find its way outside the Octagon, resulting problematic behaviors. One fans wrote, “Jon is showing his insecurities.” Meanwhile, another fan commented, “Jon Jones lost his aura by talking this fight series.”

Few of the fans decided to give Jones a reality check and brought back his problematic behaviors from the past into the picture. ‘Bones’ has had a history of being dr-g tested, even testing positive on more than one occasion, coupled with all his past troubles with the law on several occasions. This was the reason why the netizens believed Stipe Miocic didn’t respect Jones, with one fan commenting, “’One of these fighters that hate me for no reason’ – dude is the epitome of delusional. I genuinely worry for Jon post-fighting. I think he’s in serious trouble.” Another comment read, “Ffs, no reason at all. Some people just can’t accept the consequences of their actions.” Meanwhile, a few fans had a stern tone in their comments. One fan wrote, “So he said something true and jones got butt hurt about it.”

However, a few of the fans decided to drag in Tom Aspinall into the discussion. After all, Aspinall vs. Jones is a fight that the entire fighting community had been anticipating after Jones’ won the undisputed title. After Dana White confirmed that the winner of UFC 309 headliner event would fight ‘Honey Badger’, the entropy rose to new heights, with fight fans reeling in Jones refusing to fight Aspinall. One of the comments read, “So he is motivated to fight STIPE due to the disrespect but is refusing to fight TOM due to the disrespect? Which one is it Jon?” Meanwhile, another fan wrote, “What if Stipe just pulls out JUST to [f-k with] Jon and make him fight Tom? [That’ll] be Legendary.”

On the other hand, some fans stood strong in support of the heavyweight champion, and guaranteed that he would succeed in shutting his detractors once more. The fan commented, “Tbh Jon Jones doesn’t disrespect people as much as he could have given how great he his.. This won’t be his last fight.. People like him love proving doubters wrong they love for it.. He will fight Tom I guarantee it.”

With anticipation rising and the clock ticking, Jones is indeed getting ready for perhaps the toughest test of his career. The firefighter isn’t someone ‘Bones’ should take lightly. Despite being 42 years old, Stipe Miocic packs a punch that could push Jones a few steps back. Regardless, what are your thoughts on Jones’ animosity towards his opponent? Do you think him making the fight personal will work in his favor against Miocic? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.