Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren believes Jon Jones should get higher pay but may be fighting an uphill battle.
Jones and the UFC are at odds. Jones expressed interest in a heavyweight bout with Francis Ngannou. “Bones” felt he should be compensated more for making a change in weight class. Things went south quickly after Jones and the UFC talked. Jones said the promotion was unwilling to raise his pay, while UFC president Dana White claimed “Bones” demanded Deontay Wilder money.
Ben Askren Weighs In On Jon Jones-UFC Situation
Askren took to his Twitter account to give his take on Jones’ issues with the UFC.
“Yes I think @JonnyBones is likely worth more than what the UFC is paying him.”
“That being said he will have a really tough time forcing their hand into paying him more.”
“Despite the face that @ufc needs stars more right now [than] ever is weighed against their historic resistance to give pay bumps when pushed.”
The back-and-forth between Jones and UFC president Dana White hasn’t been a pretty sight. Jones said that White has set out to further damage his reputation. The UFC boss fired back by saying Jones has done a “very good job” tarnishing his own legacy. Jones followed up by suggesting he vacates his UFC light heavyweight title.
Jones was last seen in action back in February. He put his UFC light heavyweight championship on the line against Dominick Reyes. The bout went the distance and Jones was awarded the unanimous decision win. Many felt that Reyes should’ve been given the nod.
Before Jones’ spat with the UFC, he was expected to collide with either Reyes in a rematch or Jan Blachowicz. If Jones sticks to his guns on relinquishing the 205-pound gold, things will get murky in terms of the fighting future of “Bones.”
