World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) legend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin -- an avid mixed martial arts (MMA) fan -- was a recent in-studio guest on "The MMA Hour" to chat about the latest happenings in the sport, sharing perspective from his entertainment side of the fence.
One of the many topics he touched on was the level of star-power on the current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster -- or lack thereof -- given the recent departures of big box office draws such as Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva.
Breaking it down by division, Austin took the time to give his thoughts on each champ.
When he reached the Light Heavyweight class, "Stone Cold" had an interesting take on current kingpin, Jon Jones. While he acknowledges "Bones" as a great champion and a star, his tendency to lead a "double life" and not always practice what he preaches (prime example here), gets on his nerves.
And if you know Austin's character, he's not one to shy away from speaking exactly what's on his mind.
Check it out:
"I mean, you here a little stuff on the side, about his lifestyle. I mean, his lifestyle is a little bit different than what he preaches. But, as a fighter, premiere. And, God, in the light heavyweight division! And Gustafsson really handed him his ass and took him in the deepest water that he's ever been in. So that's going to be a hell of a rematch. Anyway, he kind of gets on my nerves because I think he's living two lives. To a degree, yes (he is a hypocrite)."
He continues:
"Yeah, (he annoys me), but in a good way. I would love to see him get his ass kicked, because it's going to take a hell of a man to be able to do that. I come from pro wrestling, I'm not a judge; but I think he (Gustafsson) did enough last time to get that victory. Some people agree, some don't, nonetheless it was a hell of a fight. And we knew Gus was on his way up to be a superstar. That match made him a superstar. But, what that match proved to me about Jon Jones was that when he's in deep waters, he had the heart of a champion. So, when I say some things about Jon Jones irritate me, I respect who and what he is inside that Octagon, make no mistake about that."
Jones and Gustafsson are scheduled to go at it one more time at UFC 178 on Sept. 28, 2014.
As for the rest of the champs, Austin says Cain Velasquez is star and a "bad ass" who doesn't need to talk trash to sell a fight, Chris Weidman is a "star in the making," Johny Hendricks "isn't quite Georges St-Pierre" and has a ways to go, Anthony Pettis is "exciting" and almost there, but puts on exciting fights as is the case with Jose Aldo.
In addition, Austin loves to watch flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson fight, topping it off by saying it would take a special premiere athlete to dethrone women's champion Ronda Rousey.
And that's the bottom line ...
One of the many topics he touched on was the level of star-power on the current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster -- or lack thereof -- given the recent departures of big box office draws such as Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva.
Breaking it down by division, Austin took the time to give his thoughts on each champ.
When he reached the Light Heavyweight class, "Stone Cold" had an interesting take on current kingpin, Jon Jones. While he acknowledges "Bones" as a great champion and a star, his tendency to lead a "double life" and not always practice what he preaches (prime example here), gets on his nerves.
And if you know Austin's character, he's not one to shy away from speaking exactly what's on his mind.
Check it out:
"I mean, you here a little stuff on the side, about his lifestyle. I mean, his lifestyle is a little bit different than what he preaches. But, as a fighter, premiere. And, God, in the light heavyweight division! And Gustafsson really handed him his ass and took him in the deepest water that he's ever been in. So that's going to be a hell of a rematch. Anyway, he kind of gets on my nerves because I think he's living two lives. To a degree, yes (he is a hypocrite)."
He continues:
"Yeah, (he annoys me), but in a good way. I would love to see him get his ass kicked, because it's going to take a hell of a man to be able to do that. I come from pro wrestling, I'm not a judge; but I think he (Gustafsson) did enough last time to get that victory. Some people agree, some don't, nonetheless it was a hell of a fight. And we knew Gus was on his way up to be a superstar. That match made him a superstar. But, what that match proved to me about Jon Jones was that when he's in deep waters, he had the heart of a champion. So, when I say some things about Jon Jones irritate me, I respect who and what he is inside that Octagon, make no mistake about that."
Jones and Gustafsson are scheduled to go at it one more time at UFC 178 on Sept. 28, 2014.
As for the rest of the champs, Austin says Cain Velasquez is star and a "bad ass" who doesn't need to talk trash to sell a fight, Chris Weidman is a "star in the making," Johny Hendricks "isn't quite Georges St-Pierre" and has a ways to go, Anthony Pettis is "exciting" and almost there, but puts on exciting fights as is the case with Jose Aldo.
In addition, Austin loves to watch flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson fight, topping it off by saying it would take a special premiere athlete to dethrone women's champion Ronda Rousey.
And that's the bottom line ...