Leaked DMs show Dana White fed up with Jon Jones, Alex Pereira hints at next UFC fight, what made Joshua vs. Ngannou possible: MMA News Roundup
Sundays are usually quiet for the UFC universe after the chaos of Saturday's event dies down and the hype for the next fight takes off. Thanks to a new set of leaked chats and Alex Pereira's social media, this past one has been quite exciting.
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#3 "He still being a scumbag?" - Dana White on Jon Jones
The ongoing antitrust lawsuit has revealed many past secrets of the UFC, especially some of the promotional brass' conversations about fights and fighters.
In the latest revelation, a newly unsealed chat between Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta from 2014 exposed their frustration over Jon Jones. 'Bones', who was supposed to rematch Alexander Gustafsson at the time, demanded to fight Daniel Cormier instead, as per White.
According to a report by MMA Fighting written after obtaining said court documents, the following conversation took place between White and Fertitta.
White said:
"What’s up with Jones? Did he straighten up or is he still being a scumbag?"
The-then Chairman Fertitta replied:
"Still a douche, but we’re inching closer. Haven’t moved on money, but sent the letter with an ultimatum."
White wrote back:
"Awesome. F*** that punk, Lorenzo. He needs to know we don’t need him, or he will f*** us over more than he already does."
Jones is one of the fighters with whom the promotion has had a rocky relationship over the years. Despite all that, he is now the reigning heavyweight champion, once again being accused of holding up the division due to his injuries.
The lawsuit's revelations usually turn the fans away from White owing to their cut-throat nature. However, this time the fans seemed to back the UFC CEO for a change, claiming that he was well within his rights to make the comments.
#2 Alex Pereira hints at his next UFC opponent
Between calling out Israel Adesanya and hinting at a move up to heavyweight and fighting Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira has been acing the social media game. However, in a recent post, he made it clear that he has his eyes set on Jamahal Hill next.
Hill was the UFC light heavyweight champion before Pereira and had to vacate the belt due to a ruptured Achilles. After that, he plans on making a UFC record.
'Poatan' wrote:
"Guys let's focus on what Jamahal matters and then I'll focus on breaking another record by making two title defenses in the shortest time possible."
#1 Eddie Hearn talks about what made Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou possible
Anthony Joshua was initially not interested in fighting Francis Ngannou. Even after Ngannou's performance against Tyson Fury, which many believe should have earned the former UFC heavyweight champion the victory, wasn't enough to change his mind.
It was Joshua's own win against Otto Wallin that finally sealed the deal.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said:
"Honestly, previous to the Fury fight – it wasn’t a fight that he was interested in. Obviously, we just boxed a guy in Otto Wallin that really gave Fury a really tough time - cut him. I think he had 48 stitches. The fight should have been stopped. Otto Wallin should have won that fight but it is what it is; and AJ went out and it was a mismatch, he demolished him... that was really the point, the moment that made this fight credible."
Check out his comments below (8:14):