What’s A Superhero Gotta Do To Get Some Support? The Phoenix Jones Problem

In Seattle, there lives a group of men who aim to protect their community and keep the streets free of crime. The leader of this team is a man who hopes he and his cohorts can be the most effective “crime prevention brigade” in the country. This man is called Phoenix Jones and he has become a legend of sorts in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Phoenix Jones has roamed the streets of Seattle in superhero garb for years. But between the costume and the goal of keep the streets free of crime some people have reacted harshly to the presence of Phoenix Jones and the other “Rain City Superheroes.” Clearly there is a danger that exists when you are Phoenix Jones and criminals don’t care for you. It’s a good thing that Jones is actually a skilled martial artist. A successful pro fighter with a good bit of experience under his belt, Phoenix Jones fights battles both on and off the street. But for all the accolades and all the wins in the ring, it seems that this hero isn’t finding a great deal of outward support these days.

Behind the Phoenix Jones mask is a 26-year-old man named Ben Fodor. Fodor started out his mixed martial arts career about as well one can ask. After amassing a 15-2 record as an amateur, Fodor turned pro and remained undefeated through his first six fights. With a full head of steam and plenty of hype surrounding the fighter/crime fighter, he made the announcement that he had signed a contract with World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and would be making his debut for the promotion on April 10^th, 2015. Signing with a major promotion like WSOF would obviously be a big step up in competition for a fighter who had only fought to this point on a regional circuit; Fodor’s first fight for WSOF would be his only pro bout outside of his home state of Washington. The lead up to his first matchup in WSOF created some buzz thanks to his alter ego. ESPN ran a story on the fight and as any media outlet would do they played up the superhero angle. While the superhero device is interesting the story really isn’t fresh anymore. Fodor and his superhero antics have been well documented and it seems that people are ready to leave the Rain City Superhero movement off of the front page, and even the second page for that matter.

With a new wrinkle being added to the story of Phoenix Jones, it seemed that people wanted to know what Fodor was going to bring to the table athletically. The message boards on MMA websites wondered aloud if this was a joke, if this masked man was even worth watching. Even with a solid fight team like AMC Pankration (Home to Demetrious Johnson) helping Fodor prepare for his fight, it seemed that doubt in the fighter was indelible. He would be facing a relative unknown named Emmanuel Walo in his promotional debut. Walo, a stocky wrestler with a good gas tank, was a test that WSOF officials needed to give Fodor. WSOF needed to know, could Fodor fend off takedowns? Could he get back up if he was taken down? Would he be able to handle the adversity? As it would turn out the answer to all of those questions was no. Fodor was taken down repeatedly in the fight; he showed little ability to regain position and had bad hip movement when placed on his back. There were times when Fodor showed flashes of success but those hopes were shut down the moment Walo was close enough to secure another takedown. Fodor left the cage with his first professional loss and that is never an easy thing for a fighter to swallow.

Now that this fight has come and gone, it seems that the press train has left the building. Little has been written about the debut of Fodor after his loss. Phoenix Jones has quickly become a footnote on a fight card that only got support from ESPN thanks to Fodor’s alter ego in the first place. Does Fodor deserve more attention for what he did in the cage? No he doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean he can’t earn some attention for how he bounces back. Fodor has kept up his crime fighting efforts over the years and while he and his fellow superheroes aren’t making the nightly news, they continue to protect their community. They have shown a drive and passion that few can match. If Fodor can show the same stick-to-itiveness he does with being a superhero with being a fighter there is no reason we won’t see this hero getting a little more support in the months to come.