UFC president Dana White wouldn’t be surprised if Jon Jones follows through on his plan to relinquish the UFC light heavyweight gold.
Jones has expressed frustration with the UFC brass as of late. The UFC light heavyweight champion believes he should receive higher pay for a move up to the heavyweight division. While Jones claimed that the UFC wouldn’t even entertain an increase in pay, White said that Jones demanded Deontay Wilder money. That would be in the range of $30 million.
Dana White Thinks Jon Jones Can Retire Now
In a statement sent to The Canadian Press, White said that Jones’ fighting future is ultimately up to him.
“Jon Jones is one of the greatest to ever do it,” said White. “The decision he wants to make regarding his career is up to him. The reality is that he’s made enough money from fighting that he’s now in the position to retire and never work again in his life.”
If cooler heads prevail, Jones will likely put his light heavyweight gold on the line against either Dominick Reyes in a rematch or Jan Blachowicz. There’s also the possibility that Jones and the UFC can come to terms on a deal that benefits both sides for a heavyweight showdown.
Should Jones follow through with relinquishing the light heavyweight title, then the picture would become murky. If Jones decides he isn’t being compensated well enough to stick around, there’s no telling whether or not the UFC would actually reverse course and eventually give him the right deal.
The back-and-forth between Jones and White had been getting ugly before the UFC boss’ statement. White said that Jones has done a “very good job” tarnishing his own legacy. Jones responded by doubling down on calling White a liar. It’ll be interesting to see if the two can come to an understanding.
