UFC 200’s drama taught us about the quintessential clash of styles and personalities that is the rivalry between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.

When Jones and Cormier were first to linked to fight the MMA world was on fire. Finally Jones would meet an athlete of his own caliber and gain a competitive challenge, a rival.

Before their first fight the rivalry would affect their lives outside of competition. Jones and Cormier have been involved in every form of scuffle imaginable. From their infamous “off-air” exchange, to the brawl that erupted during a press conference, there is no love lost between Jones and Cormier.

Sadly for the fighters, their out of competition antics are primarily responsible for the notoriety the match-up is receiving.

To say Jon Jones has a colorful history would be polite to him.

Jones’s latest USADA violation, testing positive for estrogen blockers, and ruination of the main event of UFC 200 is merely the most recent blemish on his record. The former light-heavyweight champion only lost his belt because he was suspended by the UFC and stripped of his title after a felony hit and run incident in April 2015. This was months after testing positive for cocaine in an out of competition drug test, and years after wrapping his Bentley around a telephone pole while intoxicated.

Jones does everything in his power to push these incidents behind the biblical tattoo blasted across his chest. Jones truly can do all this through who gives him strength.

Then there is Cormier. Son of a man murdered in a crime of passion. A former Olympian that missed the opportunity to compete after kidney failure. A father to a child killed by car wreck. Cormier, struggle personified, has embraced the grind.

Until Jones’s alleged wake-up call his pre-fight preparation involved clearing his system and losing his beer gut. The man didn’t even train year round until he nearly had everything taken from him in the wake of his legal battles. In his own words, fighting came easy.

While Cormier didn’t necessarily always keep the best diet, his work ethic has always been tireless. A coach to many and a valuable training partner of former champions, Cormier is designated the team captain of American Top Team. Cormier is a leader in a room full of kings.

When hearing their descriptions it becomes a question not of preference, but of intelligence. Why would anyone endorse Jones? How did the former champion have any fans?

Because, as the man called “Bones” has explained time and time again, to Jon Jones, fighting comes easy. When watching a Jon Jones fight it is easy to discover the art portion of martial arts. Unpredictable, creative chaos is what happens when Jones is booked to fight.

As a fan of the sport, I am rooting for Jones. I am always excited to see Jones fight. I want to see spinning elbows, flying knees and smiles amidst violence. I enjoy the insanely entertaining deluge of pain he inflicts on people. I want to see the boundaries of human potential pushed. I am praying he somehow gets over this latest USADA punishment and come backs to compete again.

As an empathetic being I am rooting for Cormier.

Cormier does everything right. He smack talks tastefully, plays with the media endlessly and he even coaches children. Cormier has trained his body to near perfection, but he still doesn’t measure up. Even with his laundry list of accolades, Cormier is still booed while being labeled a “paper champ”, sporting one loss on his record to none other than Jones.

At UFC 200 Cormier used wrestling and top control to secure a clear win over the greatest middleweight of all time Anderson Silva. His performance was met with restless boos.

Compare that performance with Brock Lesnar’s decision win over Mark Hunt. The former UFC heavyweight champion did little from the top position while being content to backpedal on the feet. The larger than life character Lesnar was met with cheers and acceptance.

None of this endorsing of Cormier is done to put myself on a moral pedestal. As mentioned earlier, I am rooting for Jones. Even after he “ruined” UFC 200, I still am excited to see his next fight. I am willing to overlook his failed PED test to watch Jones compete. Whether it be in two months, or two years, I will watch Jones’s next fight.

With the acceptance of people like Jones with all of their baggage, and the reviling of a white knight like Cormier, several important questions are raised. Do we ignore character in lieu of performance? Or, do we endorse false idols if they appeal to us beyond their true medium?

In the case of these two athletes specifically we must ask ourselves, what do we do when the villain wins? What do we do when the masses look on to see a well dressed man speaking eloquently enough to override a rap sheet?

Continue on watching, while we can.

UFC 200 is over and done with but the wake of the drama from the event continues to make headlines in the MMA world. Jones failed his test for estrogen blockers and likely will receive a two-year suspension from the sport. Only time will tell if he can get his act together to compete again.