Jon Jones got a good kick out of Jake Hager’s recent comments about slow-rolling the negotiations to compete against one another in a grappling matchup.
Last month, Jon Jones dropped some “breaking news” on his Twitter page. In a since-deleted tweet, Jones announced he would be competing against Jake Hager in a professional grappling match hosted by FURY Pro Grappling on December 9. Hager, however, accused Jones of jumping the gun.
“First of all it’s @AEWonTNT and undefeated @BellatorMMA heavyweight Jake Hager, secondly no terms have been discussed or contract signed. We can talk if terms are right.”
Jones seemed to then pull the plug on any conversation by turning his attention to someone and quite literally anyone else, by issuing an open challenge to another ‘big boy’ to grapple with him.
Then, in a recent appearance on the Throwing Down podcast, Hager spilled the details on why he publicly pumped the brakes on Jones’ announcement, and he also left the door wide open for their grappling match to still take place (h/t MiddleEasy).
“I was at dinner one night and got the phone call from my head coach, Josh Crabtree, and he said, ‘What’s up, man, I got a great situation for ya. You should say yes before I even tell you what it is.’ Alright, I love Josh, he’s the man, I’m like ‘Yes!’ He tells me and I’m still like yes, let’s make it happen.
“So, as far as I know, we were waiting (on) the negotiations and (finalizing) everything. He jumped the gun a little bit, made that Twitter announcement, we hadn’t had anything signed. I know my response was harsh, but you gotta get my name right and my company name right.”
Jon Jones Scoffs At Jake Hager’s Comments
Weeks after these comments were made by Hager, Jon Jones offered this amused retort.
“you can’t gloat about turning down a grappling match with the goat. You had the opportunity of a lifetime, now you’re doing interviews about what you would’ve done,” Jones posted on Twitter on Tuesday night.
Jon Jones last fought in May 2020 in an extremely close victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Meanwhile, Jake Hager competes in Bellator’s heavyweight division and also wrestles for All Elite Wrestling as a member of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle faction.
MMA News will keep you posted on any additional updates on this potential grappling match between Jon Jones and Jake Hager.
