Greg Jackson Cornering Jon Jones at UFC 145 is the Right Choice

by Chris Groves on Feb 19, 2012 2:26 PM EST

Greg Jackson has some pretty strong views about teammates fighting teammates. First off, he doesn't seem to particularly care for it happening in the first place. Secondly, when it DOES happen, when two people he has ties to get matched up, ala GSP vs potentially Carlos Condit...he opts to stay out of it.

That's a very unbiased way of handling things. But this situation with Rashad Evans is entirely different.

When the Jones vs Evans fight was first pre-emptively put together after Jones defeated Shogun, both fighters were Jackson's fighters. Pretty much immediately, Evans left Jacksons, saying that he wasn't getting the one on one time he wanted, among other things. For some reason, Jones 'I would fight Rashad if my job was on the line' admission really stung Evans as a betrayal. Why any teammate, let's say fighter A, would want his teammate, fighter B, to stop persuing their dream of becoming champion just because fighter A is the champion is downright insane to me. Friends don't try to hold other friends back from achieving their goals.

But back to Jackson, when it was a matter of Evans and Jones both being Jackson's fighters...then choosing to stay out of the coaching is most fair.

But as everyone knows and as Jackson has said previously, Rashad left them....he chose to leave Jackson's and go do his thing. What commitment does Jackson owe Rashad now that Rashad has been gone for nearly a year, was critical of the way Jackson favored fighters, and is now gunning for former team-mate Jon Jones? Greg Jackson didn't make Rashad leave the 'family'

Expecting some kind of "I won't coach against my fighters OR my ex-fighters" policy is utterly insane. I don't see why Jones should get the 'punishment' of not having Jackson in his corner just because Evans has sour grapes over not becoming champion, kicked his toys, and stomped off in a fuss. Cornering the guy who is still loyal to him is a lot more fair and unbiased then not cornering him just because he is a fighting someone who LEFT OF HIS OWN FREE WILL!

Bravo Greg Jackson, you did the right thing.

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From what I recall the “I will step out” comment by Jackson was also made after Evans left the camp. (I don’t care enough about it do research those comments).

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by dancingChicken on Feb 19, 2012 2:32 PM EST reply actions

to do research those comments

"I'm not the best, but I'm capable of achieving the impossible" - Anderson Silva

by dancingChicken on Feb 19, 2012 2:36 PM EST up reply actions

I thought Rashad was still technically part of Jacksons after Jones beat Shogun

I think that is when Greg first said that and when Rashad said he was done with the camp.

by HaterSlayer on Feb 19, 2012 4:58 PM EST up reply actions

I was having arguments on another article about this, and the arguments boiled down to the fact that Greg Jackson said that he wouldn’t corner any of those fighters a while back. However, it came off as a bit ridiculous because the MMA fans that I was arguing with would hold that to him so strictly, as if it was inconceivable that Greg Jackson could change his mind because that was “his word.” The idea that what a person feels at one time can change in the future was absent to these MMA fans, especially considering that Evans made a new camp in Florida with Imperial Athletics/Blackzillians and isn’t even tied with Jackson’s camp.

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by chrisbboy82 on Feb 19, 2012 11:09 PM EST reply actions

The thing is, I don’t think anybody is saying Jackson shouldn’t corner Jones.

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by TheLastEmpress on Feb 20, 2012 12:32 AM EST reply actions

I was on another thread, and some MMA fans are complaining that Jackson shouldn’t corner Jones because Jackson isn’t keeping “his word.” Jackson said a couple months back that he wouldn’t corner either Evans or Jones, and some MMA fans are holding that against him still.

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by chrisbboy82 on Feb 20, 2012 1:14 AM EST up reply actions

I find it cute that so many of the same fans that get so fixated on ideas like “honor” and “your word” are very comfortable using illegal streams to avoid paying for the sport they claim to love and support. Hypocrites, every one of them.

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by Forbidden Psychological Technology on Feb 20, 2012 3:25 AM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs

In reality,

This is a business model/management failure. Coaching/cornering/consulting conditions should be addressed in contracts. The sport has progressed to the point that this is all foreseeable and these things need to be worked out in policies among the camps and in the contracts fighters agree to when they join the camps. Then this would all be a legal consideration, and less of a distraction or source of conflict in fight camps. Better for everyone.

I thought Lay N Pray was a stupid insult until I watched Tyron Woodley fight.

by DankNabbot on Feb 20, 2012 2:32 PM EST reply actions

I think this is a good point.

You’re still going to have problems regardless of contract, since there isn’t going to be a one coach/one fighter dynamic except for the champs, who have the money to maintain their own staff, but having set policies written out and agreed upon by everyone in a given camp is going to be a necessity going forward.

What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself? The land contend with the sea? Is there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?

by Kwisatz Haderach on Feb 20, 2012 5:13 PM EST up reply actions

Is this something that's done in boxing or other combat sports?

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by chrisbboy82 on Feb 21, 2012 3:01 AM EST up reply actions

This is the right move.

Rashad cut his ties, and hasn’t had a conciliatory word to say about Greg since leaving the camp. Sounds like he’s content to keep the blood bad, so why should Jon lose the head coach he’s loyal to?

What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself? The land contend with the sea? Is there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?

by Kwisatz Haderach on Feb 20, 2012 5:12 PM EST reply actions

Even if the split was completely amicable w Greg

Jones is your client, Rashad is not. Greg’s running a business, he needs to service his clients.

by MS_Dos_Santos on Feb 20, 2012 7:10 PM EST up reply actions

Yep, agreed.

Friendship shouldn’t really enter into it. MMA has grown a lot since Rashad started out at Jackson’s. It’s big business now, for good and bad.

What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself? The land contend with the sea? Is there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?

by Kwisatz Haderach on Feb 20, 2012 8:10 PM EST up reply actions