Dana White reveals the real reason why Jon Jones doesn't have a fight booked in the UFC now
UFC president Dana White has provided fans with an update on why Jon Jones doesn’t have a fight booked with the promotion right now.
Over the course of the last few months, the intensity has ramped up in the ongoing war of words between Jon Jones and Dana White.
Jones clearly wants to head up to heavyweight in order to challenge Francis Ngannou for the title, but White isn’t willing to budge on the financial demands of Jones and his team.
Dana White vs. Jon Jones continues
With Ngannou continuing to prepare to defend his belt this summer, White has once again spoken about Jones’ current situation with the promotion.
“I’ve been doing the Jon Jones thing for like 10 years. I know how this thing works. Jon Jones is a different animal. Jon is one of those guys that could’ve blown this sport open. He could’ve had a Nikey deal where he had shoes with Nikey for the next 25-30 years after he retired and stuff like that. I don’t know. I get excited when I know Jon is really coming in and he’s gonna fight, so I’ve sort of set myself up for ‘if he doesn’t, he doesn’t’. Jon Jones, if he calls tomorrow and says I’m retired, I wouldn’t be shocked, I wouldn’t be devastated, I’d say good for him. If Jon Jones calls tomorrow and says I wanna fight tomorrow, I want Stipe, awesome, let’s make it and let’s get it going.”
It goes without saying that Jon Jones has an unbelievable amount of potential when it comes to a possible run at heavyweight but if that’s not going to be possible, he’ll still have had an unbelievable career as Dana White suggests.
However, this debate goes far beyond Jones demanding more money and extends all the way through to the payment structure in place across the sport.
Jones wants to fight for what he believes he has earned and, given everything we know, that seems like an admirable move.
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