What is of greater importance here is Roy Jones, Jr. publicly bashing White and the UFC for this. Gentleman, I'm sure everyone's aware that MMA has made great strides in the past year in mainstream media like ESPN and Sports Illustrated. All of the exposure has been based around something to the effect of "Look at this ridiculous new sport! These guys are killing each other but it's somehow safe! Wow!"

White and the UFC have had negotiating problems with venues like HBO because they don't want to give up their production. Basically, the UFC wants to promote who they want, when they want, how they want which is the mindset of any fight promoter. The problem is that they aren't just a fight promoter but a massive sports league at this point. I think with such a high profile athlete Roy Jones calling out the UFC in this situation, I really believe it's only a matter of time before this story breaks on ESPN, giving the UFC bad press. Imagine RJJ put in an interview seat on SportsCenter making the same statements he did on Sherdog radio. I think it's safe to say we would see Anderson Silva vs Roy Jones, Jr. in a boxing ring within a few months of that interview.

Welcome to the mainstream, Dana.

We freak out on Dana White and the UFC brass for taking champions and putting them as coaches on TUF, effectively setting the title on the shelf for 6-12 months.  But we want to see Anderson Silva in a boxing match?  He is going to have to focus on boxing only for at LEAST several months before the bout...after the bout he'll need time off.  You're looking at probably at least a year before you see the middleweight championship defended in the UFC.

And that's a best case scenario that doesn't involve a medical suspension following a KO/TKO or a broken hand or a broken jaw or a broken orbital socket.

In many ways, I'm glad he won't get the chance for what would be a big payday and a lot of attention coming his way to fight MMA's best fighter in a lopsided, rather unfair exhibition match. Jones is one of my favorite fighters because at his peak, he was just electric to watch ply his trade. But if you get down the brass tacks of Roy Jones the businessman, he probably deserves to be shot down like this.

Dana's protecting one of his top stars, his company, and the sport that's made him a celebrity. I cannot blame him for that.

I'm also glad because I have no interest in paying to see Jones slaughter Silva in a boxing match, because it would mean nothing besides money, and as much as I want these athletes to be paid well for what they do to their bodies, at the end of the day I'm a fan, and if a fight is attractive, then great. If it's not, I don't give a shit. Jones-Silva is not attractive on either stage. It's a gross mismatch one way or the other.