"Date to be announced soon" - Jon Jones pranks his Twitter followers with April Fools' joke

April 1st has never been an easy-going day for MMA fans. This time around, it was Jon Jones who pranked his fans with a hilarious April Fool's joke. The former light heavyweight champion hinted at a possible fight date against Francis Ngannou on his Twitter account.

Jon Jones jokingly said he had a "great dinner" with Dana White and that his super fight against Francis Ngannou was a done deal, before revealing that his claim was just a piece of mischief.

"I just had a great dinner and the best conversation I’ve had with Dana and a very long time, we got the deal done. Date to be announced soon," wrote Jones.

I just had a great dinner and the best conversation I’ve had with Dana and a very long time, we got the deal done. Date to be announced soon
— BONY (@JonnyBones) April 2, 2021

His follow-up tweet read:

"Hope you guys had a good April fools".

Hope you guys had a good April fools
— BONY (@JonnyBones) April 2, 2021

Jon Jones is not the only UFC star to bait his fans on April Fools. Over the years, a lot of other fighters have done the same, including Conor McGregor. In 2019, 'The Notorious One' posted a hilarious promotional video of 'Champ Champ Rosé,' his new champagne brand.

It was later revealed that McGregor was joking with his fans, and Champ Champ Rosé was nothing but a marketing gimmick for Proper Twelve whiskey.

Just like I did with my Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey @ProperWhiskey, I will now take over the Rosé wine business. Introducing Champ Champ Rosé @ChampChampRose, the finest Rosé in the world!
Sláinte 🌹 pic.twitter.com/wWmSjvWFyf
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 1, 2019

Jon Jones' pay dispute with the UFC is far from being settled

Contrary to what Jon Jones has suggested in his April Fool's tweet, he still hasn't come to terms with the UFC regarding his fight purse for the Ngannou clash. The 31-year-old recently went on a tweeting spree and reflected on UFC's unwillingness to pay him handsomely.

According to Jones, his potential fight against Francis Ngannou will be a huge blockbuster at the box office. 'Bones' publicly said the UFC has offered him anything between $8 to $10 million, but he has insisted on having a bigger payday.

I had a brief phone meeting with UFC‘s lawyer Hunter a few days ago. As of right now I expressed to him that anywhere around eight to $10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. That’s all that has been discussed so far.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) March 31, 2021

UFC President Dana White had earlier questioned Jones' motivation to challenge Ngannou, to which Bones took offense. He responded to White on Twitter, noting he has been fighting competitors with the same punching power as Ngannou, and he has never been afraid of them throughout his career.