UFC president Dana White claims that Jon Jones demanded a set number for a move to heavyweight.
Jones and White have had a rocky relationship for years. Things soured greatly due to the whole UFC 151 debacle. Jones was expected to face Dan Henderson in the main event but “Hendo” pulled out due to an injury. Chael Sonnen was willing to step in but Jones decided not to fight due to the last-minute change. White publicly blasted Jones for not fighting on short notice and the relationship between “Bones” and White hasn’t been the same since.
Dana White Says Jon Jones Has Been Tarnishing Himself
Fast forward to 2020 and the current issue has to do with pay. White claims that Jones asked for Deontay Wilder money, while Jones has denied this and told White to stop being a “f*cking liar.” During the UFC on ESPN 9 post-fight press conference, White fired back at Jones.
“Being the greatest of all time doesn’t mean you get $30 million. Being able to sell. Jon Jones has done a lot of things to himself. In one of his tweets he was saying that I tarnished his [legacy]. I tarnished you? You’ve done a very good job of tarnishing you. No, I haven’t done that. Hunter told him, ‘you can come in here, I’ll walk you through all the numbers.’ And he says, ‘I don’t give a f*ck what the numbers are. I want what I want and that’s it.’ That’s not how life works. Why don’t you guys fly back and tell your boss, ‘I don’t give a f*ck what this company makes. This is what I want and you’re gonna give it to me.’ See how that f*cking works out for you.”
White was referring to a conversation Jones and UFC EVP and chief business officer Hunter Campbell had over a potential increase in pay. Jones had been trying to negotiate for a heavyweight clash with knockout artist Francis Ngannou. Jones and Ngannou went back-and-forth on Twitter and while the two weren’t hostile, the competitive nature was alive and well. The matchup also garnered interest from fight fans but it’ll have to wait if it ever happens.
