Dana White reacts to old tweet by "p*ssed" Khabib Nurmagomedov, says equation with Jon Jones wasn't always great
Dana White recently responded to a series of old tweets aimed at him. He addressed Khabib Nurmagomedov's past frustrated demand for a title shot and admitted that his relationship with Jon Jones has been far from smooth over the years.
The UFC CEO appeared on the latest episode of Complex Sports' I Got Time Today. During the episode, he reacted to a tweet from Nurmagomedov dating back to November 2016, where the UFC Hall of Famer demanded a shot at the lightweight title following his victory over Michael Johnson at UFC 205 and even went so far as to threaten his departure from the promotion if his demands were not met. White said:
"Well, thank god that all worked out. I don't know what he was p*ssed about, but we got it figured out."
'The Eagle' finally earned his shot at the 155-pound championship at UFC 223 in April 2018, where he dominated Al Iaquinta with a unanimous decision victory to claim the vacant title.
White then addressed a fan's tweet playfully mocking the UFC boss for keeping 'Bones' in the promotion. This was despite the reigning heavyweight champion getting arrested just hours after being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in September 2021 for his legendary 2013 bout with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165.
In his response, White acknowledged that while he consistently defends Jones as the greatest fighter of all time, their relationship has faced its share of turbulence in the past:
"When I'm talking about Jon Jones being the greatest of all time, the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, it's not like I've had an amazing relationship with Jon Jones. But facts are facts. Stats are stats. He is the GOAT, and all of the haters are just going to have to deal with it."
Check out Dana White's comments below:
When Dana White criticized Jon Jones in unsealed texts during pay dispute
According to unsealed court documents from the UFC antitrust lawsuit, reported by MMA Fighting in January, Dana White found himself caught in a heated contract dispute with Jon Jones over his opponent for the May 2014 fight.
Jones was adamant about defending his light heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier, while the UFC had other plans, reportedly pushing for a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. The promotion sought to extend Jones' contract by adding additional bouts, but 'Bones' insisted on a substantial pay raise before considering any extension.
As detailed in the documents, White sent a message to then-UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta and sought updates on the developing issue with Jones:
"What’s up with Jones? Did he straighten up or is he still being a scumbag?"
Fertitta responded:
""Still a do*che, but we’re inching closer. Haven’t moved on money, but sent the letter with an ultimatum."
White replied:
"Awesome. F**k that punk, Lorenzo. He needs to know we don’t need him, or he will f**k us over more than he already does."