UFC: Has Jon Jones Surpassed GSP as MMA's Most Marketable Fighter?

In terms of salary and pay-per-view buyrates, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones may take a long time to surpass UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

However, does that speak to the UFC's ability to draw hot crowds and deliver intense action on a card with the New York native as opposed that thereof with the pride of Montreal?

In other words, has the 205-lb champ surpassed GSP as the most marketable fighter in mixed martial arts, even if he's not even topping GSP's PPV numbers or rolling deep in a fatter stack of cash than GSP?

If that's the case in 2012, yours truly hasn't noticed it yet, especially not with the way in which Jones has emerged as something of a polarizing figure. The funny thing is that when this all started last year, Jones was seen by many, and labeled by myself (and only by myself), as an MVP, or in other words, the sport's most valuable prospect, and therefore, was thought to be able to do great things.

However, the fight with then-champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was something nobody saw coming so soon, and from that moment on, is when we saw, or at least think we saw, a different side of Jones. Some thought he was the same man, but his detractors, among others, though Jones had gotten cocky just because he wasn't signing toy belts and was signing his autograph as though he were already the champ.

Regardless of what Jones was called by his detractors, the fact was Jones earned his results in the cage with convincing wins over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida and "Suga" Rashad Evans.

To put it in simplest terms, the only competition Jones has left to face is Dan Henderson, and perhaps, Alexander Gustafsson. After that, it really gets difficult to see anyone who could threaten the the light heavyweight. Once he's done with Henderson, and if Gustafsson is not next, the only sensible move is heavyweight for the current 205-lb champ.

If it sounds a lot like GSP's current situation, that's because it really is Jones' situation in a lot of ways. In GSP's whole career, Matt Hughes and Matt Serra have always been the two names who have consistently mattered, and as the only two men to have defeated GSP, it's not difficult to see why.

Aside from Hughes and Serra, Jon Fitch gave GSP a difficult bout, Josh Koscheck talked his way into a jab-fest with GSP, Thiago Alves made GSP hit him with his groin and Dan Hardy proved he's got rubber limbs.

All in all, though, only two names have mattered besides Hughes and Serra to most fans, one being BJ Penn, who many thought beat GSP in the UFC 58 bout (but lost decisively at UFC 94 before BJ's corner threw in the towel), and the other being Jake Shields, who blinded GSP enough to take a round from him at UFC 129 last year.

GSP's comparison to Jones in terms of title reigns is the fact that both men have been dominant in their performances, and neither has many, if any, legitimate challengers left after their next title defenses, but again, we have to resort to the original question with all this in mind.

Yes, GSP is as humble, disciplined and media-friendly as he appears in public, so long as Nick Diaz hasn't said anything about GSP before or after a fight, and GSP does attract many a crowd, and his fight cards are some of the UFC's most stacked, most memorable and most successful cards. All this accounted for, is he still more marketable than the equally media-friendly Jones whose humility has been seen as less that genuine for months now?

To some, GSP still is more marketable than Jones because, after all, many will say he's still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, aside from Anderson Silva. Not only has he (mostly) dominated his competition, but he's also made a lot of him competition thus far easy to handle. However, there is a reason why Jones is seen as more marketable than St-Pierre, if you can believe it.

If it's not the personality which can be spun to provoke multiple reactions in fans that makes Jones such a marketable fighter, what is it?

Sure, guys like Tito Ortiz and Michael Bisping are easily marketable because of how they carry themselves, and the way in which both men carry themselves gets underneath people's skins. For that matter, ditto Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, who all have personalities that some like and others don't.

If the same cannot be said for Jones, though, then why would Jones have ever been seen as more marketable than St-Pierre when St-Pierre is the one with the higher bank account and the distinction of being almost a "Mr. PPV" so to speak?

The answer is not Jones' public image in the minds of MMA fans because anyone can be humble and have it questioned by an opponent. Anyone can draw a reaction based on people booing them and wanting to see them destroyed. Anyone can have their quotes taken extremely out of context to make them look like they're saying something different from what they actually intended to say.

If you want to know what it is with Jones, it's what he does in the Octagon that has the casuals and hard-cores begging to see the kid back in the Octagon, regardless of whether they want to see him stomp the competition, or they want the competition to stomp him, put him in the Camel Clutch, break his back, and then...well, you know...humble him. 

Not just anyone can back it up when it comes time to fight, not just anyone can prove that they really are what many say they are. GSP does draw on his pound-for-pound greatness, the hype behind the claims of his completeness as a fighter, and because—aside from the criticisms about his style—the man is quite easy to like or at least respect because he does get results.

But Jones is a man who not only is consistently drawing viewership and buyrates with each fight, despite his youth, but for the money of hardcore MMA fans, he and his constantly-evolving style justify the fact that Jones is not as much hyped as a complete fighter as much as it is that he just is a complete fighter at this point in his career.

Not only that, but until he gets significantly rocked hard—and it will be the shocker of 2012 if Dan Henderson cannot do just that—Jones will always have the little things about him, such as an iron chin and a fantastic technique that will make people ask if it can just be the night of Jones' next fight already.

Again, though, if that sounds like something we've said before, it's because we've said the same thing about GSP a few times before. We've seen what GSP executes and how he executes in the cage, and that's why many of us still haven't worked up enough energy to justify GSP dropping out of our top three "best in the world" lists.

Don't lie. You still have him in yours, too. I know I still do, but in any case, I digress.

Between GSP and Jones, it's GSP who still draws the most PPV buyrates, and it's GSP who waves the UFC flag whenever his face is on a camera, but it hasn't been too long ago that GSP was in a similar boat to Jones in terms of consistently attracting audiences and causing tickets to sell out.

Now that Brock Lesnar's drawing power is going toward tomorrow night, GSP does have the power to lead the UFC in drawing big numbers in the years ahead, even if he's only fighting once in 2012, but will it mean that he's more marketable than Jones?

If Jones keeps on doing what he's been doing, as well as he has been doing it, and as consistently as he's been doing it, he definitely will be on the track toward possibly proving to be the type of athlete who might just be more marketable than the current 170-lb champ.

It's hard to believe, especially since Jones' UFC 145 opponent Evans draws big numbers when his fight is against someone Evans doesn't like, but if you look at Jones' past success, one can see that he has proven as good for business as he has been for the sport.

He's been on the card for one of the most financially successful cards in the promotion, but since he's taken over in more main-event-worthy bouts, it's been Jones who has been doing the big numbers instead of being a footnote in the event recaps of the cards that did big numbers.

Besides, fighter marketability in MMA is more than just being able or fit to be sold to the public based on how many see him in public, though, that aspect has paid dividends to Jones' marketability as a fighter, seeing as how some people love him, and other people love that they hate him.

The other side of fighter marketability in MMA is a simple adage that says, "skills sell, son." Yes, GSP can sell his fights because of his damaging jabs, a rather underrated striking game and his fluid wrestling and takedowns.

But Jones' skill set—which have taken him the distance only three times in 17 fights—sells fights as well because everyone knows what to expect from Jones, yet Jones consistently does something in fights which few have ever before seen executed in legitimate MMA competition.

Doesn't that sound like a fighter who might be more marketable than the man currently topping the rest in PPV buys in the absence of the UFC's former heavyweight champion?

Yeah, I thought so too.