Is the risk worth the reward?

So it seems like lately a lot of fights have been scrapped due injury, sickness, or any number reasons. If one fighter is still healthy and ready to go then they’ll throw the chips where they may and jump into the fray with a new opponent. Sometimes the fighters with a full training camp are able to overcome the opposition. Other times the short notice fighter rises to the occasion and overcome the fully trained opposition. But no matter how you slice, the fighters always come out losing in the end. Last Saturday Jon Jones dominated Ovince Saint-Preux for five full rounds. Sounds impressive, but Jones seemed to be a bit off his game appearing sluggish and a bit hesitant at times. That was largely due to the ring rust, but Jones’ decision to take a short notice fight could have ruined everything that he’d been preparing for. He may have won the fight, but the less than stellar performance in no way inspired confidence especially heading into his rematch with Daniel Cormier. Maybe it’s a bit harsh to criticize Jones after a victory, but the fact remains that his stock wasn’t helped by the underwhelming performance. The fight did nothing for Saint-Preux either. Rather than going after Jones and looking to land heavy shots, OSP instead chose to stay back and pick his shots ultimately because he was worried about his conditioning. Ultimately it made for a main event that was lackluster. The biggest takeaways from the fight is that Jones got his much needed tune up fight and OSP discovered that he could survive in the deep waters against one of the pound for pound best. Ultimately short notice fights can prove to be exciting at times, but with so much risk involve with moderate reward, it’s a tough decision to make. Fighters should fight, but isn’t it better to see two combatants competing at the best of their ability? Do you think short notice fights are worth it? Follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to share, like, and comment to show your support.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.