‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is one of those rare figures who transcended a career as a professional wrestler into a broader celebrity status. And as such, when he has something to say people are listening, if for no better reason than because Stone Cold said so… Anyway, Ariel Helwani avoided getting a can of whoop-ass opened on him by delving into one of the wrestling great’s big passions, MMA. Austin had a lot to talk about, including his reality TV shows, Helwani’s bootleg wrestling shirts, and a hundred other things in this interview spanning an hour and a half. One of the more interesting topics on hand was current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who Austin had some less than glowing feelings about. (transcription via MMAMania)
“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).”
…
“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.”
Obviously there’s a lot, lot more in the interview than just that, so check out the whole thing above.
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