Postal Connections: Bare ‘Bones’

It’s time to dig into the mailbag once again, and it seems a lot of you weren’t pleased with my take on the latest Jon Jones situation. Like I said earlier this week, in my opinion it isn’t a big deal in the least. Many of you begged to differ. Also, we had some questions about potential title shots coming up in the near future and how a couple of divisions might play out after some upcoming fights.

Without further ado, away we go.

Always enjoy your articles. I’m guessing that’s how everybody starts an email before it gets bad? On Jon Jones’ recent activity, and I know this is just an opinion, but it sure seems like he pulled an O.J. Simpson. I mean, I agree with almost everything in your article, but for a longtime MMA fan like me, he just comes across as so disrespectful. Calling Daniel Cormier a pussy on Twitter, punching him after the bell in the championship fight ... I could go on and on, but I’m quite sure you know more than I do. What was his community service to the kids? How to get off if you have money after you hit a pregnant woman while doing drugs? I mean, what message can he really give? I personally wish him all the best. Maybe he will come back and be some sort of positive role model. I doubt it, but it wouldn’t be right to not give him a fair shake. I just think fans are generally over him, but who am I to say? After all, I spend many evenings re-watching Pride Fighting Championships and Mark Kerr neck cranking guys. Best wishes. -- Scott

Thanks for writing, Scott. I get it that people are not thrilled with Jones’ antics, and a lot of them, like you, think he got off light last year. I tend to agree, but this latest column was about an incident that involved him being cited for driving without a license -- not exactly a dastardly offense, in my opinion.

I guess it’s more of a double jeopardy issue for me. You mentioned him pulling off an O.J., but I think him getting hammered for this minor infraction would be the real O.J. outcome. That guy murdered some people, got off and now is serving a serious prison term for “robbing” someone of items he claims were his to begin with. I say punish them for the crime at hand, not one from their past -- except for O.J. Screw that guy.

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Isn’t it a bit of an oversimplification to refer to this incident as a traffic ticket? Doesn’t having your license suspended imply that the state in which you live believes you should not be operating a vehicle? Until Jones can demonstrate the necessary amount of responsibility to appease New Mexico, he should not operate a vehicle and thus put others at risk. How would you feel if he ended up plowing into a car full of people about whom you care? I definitely feel you missed a key point here in downplaying his latest brush with the law. -- Robert Fish

First off, thanks for the comments, Robert. Of course it was overly simplistic. I had 800 words to make a point. To answer your question, though, I do believe the state of New Mexico made it clear it does not view this incident as a major problem. Jones had three days of community service tacked onto his tally, and no issues were raised about his probation.

My biggest issue was the messages I was seeing from people calling for him to get locked up or pulled from his fight with Cormier. Like I said earlier, I get it that some people don’t like him, and that’s most definitely their right. What is sad to me is that they want to see the guy suffer even more for something with which most people have had some experience at one point or another.

Minor traffic stuff is not going to get the New Mexico probation office in an uproar, and it shouldn’t get the MMA world’s panties in a bunch, either. I really think it’s just another in a long list of inconsequential items that people find to rally around for a day or two that really have no staying power. It’s not unique to Jones, but it gets magnified because he’s such a controversial personality in our sport -- and rightfully so.

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If Miesha Tate beats Holly Holm, is there an automatic rematch or do we get Tate-Ronda Rousey 3? -- Cristopher Blane‬

If by some crazy happenstance Tate takes out Holm, I would anticipate an immediate rematch, considering Rousey isn’t planning on returning until late fall. Of course, how the fight unfolds will have a lot to do with the booking strategy, but I really don’t see any other viable option should both women come out of the bout unscathed.

I highly doubt Tate will be able to handle Holm’s striking, but if she can get her to the mat, she could do some damage. It would probably have to be early, while she’s fresh. I think the most likely outcome is a Holm stoppage win, with her taking the summer off to rest up and start promoting her monster rematch with the former champion.

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On “Cheap Seats,” I heard you say Conor McGregor wants to fight at 170 pounds once he beats Rafael dos Anjos. That can’t be real, can it? Robbie Lawler would murder him in less than a minute. Why would the UFC want to do that to its most popular fighter? -- Dave, from New Jersey

Yes, I believe it is real. McGregor has talked about continuing his rise through the weight divisions, and I don’t see why he would stop at lightweight. While I’m not convinced he will get past dos Anjos, I wholeheartedly believe he will call out Lawler if he does; and if he gets that far, the only hurdle I can foresee getting in his way of a third division title shot in three fights is the return of Georges St. Pierre.

GSP’s recent comments seem to have kicked that roadblock out of the path, so if McGregor wins -- and that’s a big if -- I do expect the Lawler fight to get made for UFC 200. As for Lawler tuning him up, I’m not so sure. This is about as favorable a matchup as McGregor is going to get at 170. Lawler is hittable, and Conor possesses some big-time power. It could be very interesting.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s interests don’t hinge on McGregor remaining undefeated, or it would have never gone along with him fighting dos Anjos. UFC President Dana White has stated clearly that he thinks McGregor is in over his head against the lightweight champ. This is a sport where losses don’t hurt as much as they might in boxing. Everyone tastes defeat sooner or later. McGregor’s star power is such that he’ll be just fine, even if he comes up short against either dos Anjos or Lawler later this year.

Sherdog.com Executive Editor Greg Savage can be reached by email or Twitter @TheSavageTruth. If you would like to have your question or comment answered in the weekly Postal Connections mailbag, please submit them by Wednesday evening each week.