UFC 140 Fight Card: 4 Reasons Jon Jones Is the Tim Tebow of MMA

Controversial Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones are one and the same but play in different sports.

How can an African-American wrestler from New York and a child born to Christian missionaries in the Philippines be so similar?

There are several ways. Read and find out what those ways are.

The Are Both Pious

Both Tebow and Jones had religious upbringings due to their fathers being pastors.

This faithfulness has spilled over into each athlete's persona on the field/in the cage, which unfortunately angers fans.

Why?

If people don't like anything, it's being preached to or just preachy characters in general. Jones and Tebow can definitely be interpreted as preachy by some. Jones perhaps more so since he even sports a large tattoo referring to a bible verse, Philippians 4:13.

The verse reads, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."

Jones and Tebow are always known to give thanks to God and pray. Tebow even has a posture—"Tebowing"—named after him.

They Are Both Controversial

Jones and Tebow aren't controversial because they say or do brash things, they are controversial because they succeed.

There was considerable doubt about a quarterback like Tebow succeeding in the NFL. Tebow proved the doubters wrong and has been very successful.

With Jones, the controversy was a bit more complicated since not only did it involve people thinking Jones was over-hyped, it also involved Jones' perceived cockiness and fake humility.

People May Be Jealous of Them

This is the most speculative and sordid of all the reasons to hate an athlete, but it still remains a possible source of all the aforementioned controversy around the two men.

People may see the accomplishments and talent of these young, successful athletes and become jealous of their success.

Why would they be jealous?

Delving into the psychology of such a sad person would be too boring. Suffice it to say that maybe people regret that they didn't play a sport earlier in their lives, or wrestle, or have certain opportunities.

Successful athletes (represented mostly by Jones and Tebow since they are the brightest young stars in their respective sports) might represent that ugly "what if" that follows miserable people to their death beds; nothing can make these miserable people happy aside from the athletes they hate.

They Are Both Being Hyped Up as the Future of Their Respective Sports

Jones and Tebow occupy the same niche within their sports: the young All-Star who's primed to become the future of the sport, both in terms of what he will accomplish and in the sense that he represents what the future of athletes in those sports will become.

Tebow may turn out to be the prototype for what the next-generation quarterback should be, while Jones may turn out to be what the next-generation fighter should be.