Greg Jackson on Post-Fight Comments to Jon Jones: "It Was a Dumb Thing to Say"

Instead of gaining fans for Jon Jones, Greg Jackson's post-fight comments at UFC 140 may have cost him some.

The MMA trainer could be heard shouting across the cage just moments after the UFC light heavyweight champion choked out Lyoto Machida in the main event.

"Jon! Jon Jones! Go check on him! Go check on Lyoto, get some fans!"

For whatever reason, MMA fans haven't quite warmed up to Jones yet. He has always presented himself in a humble light in front of the media, but fans aren't buying it.

At the UFC 140 weigh-ins, Jones was booed heavily as he stepped on the scales at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for his championship bout against Machida.

The boos never deterred the 24-year-old champion from continuing his path of destruction in the light heavyweight division. After a rough first round, Jones hurt Machida with a punch and followed up with a standing modified guillotine choke.

When the referee stepped in to stop the fight, Jones merely released the hold and allowed Machida's unconscious body to crumple to the floor.

"Fighters get into this place when they're fighting. Jon choked him out, but he was in the zone," Jackson said in an appearance on "The MMA Hour."

"So I said to Jon, 'Go check on Machida and get yourself some fans,' which was a dumb thing to say. What I was trying to convey to him was, you're a professional athlete and there's a ring decorum, and I should have said 'Remember the fans' because everyone is watching what you do. I misspoke."

Jackson is one of the most respected trainers in the world, but while his post-fight comments appear to be an honest mistake, this incident certainly won't help Jones' cause in emerging as a fan favorite anytime soon.

Despite his meteoric success in the cage, Jones still has to grow on fans. After defeating Ryan Bader in February, Jones has gone on to obliterate three MMA legends and former UFC champions in the same year.

He is still being seen as the new kid on the block, and a certain level of respect is expected from MMA fans.

"I don't think it's fair because it wasn't my intention. I wasn't trying to manipulate Jon," said Jackson. "'Go check on him, and the fans will appreciate it' was what I meant, but I'm a bonehead sometimes, and it came out wrong, which wasn't my intention at all."