Jones: White’s Words About Ngannou Fight Are ‘A Slap In The Face’

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Jon Jones and Dana White are going at it again after the UFC president insinuated Jones was using pay as an excuse to duck Francis Ngannou. Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones for the heav…


UFC 247 Jones v Reyes
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Jon Jones and Dana White are going at it again after the UFC president insinuated Jones was using pay as an excuse to duck Francis Ngannou.

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones for the heavyweight title would be one of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC. If, that is, the UFC wants to put it together. Unfortunately for everyone interested in this super-fight, UFC president Dana White is engaged in a strange war of attrition with GOAT contender and greatest light heavyweight champion of all time Jon Jones. Jones wants to get paid for the Ngannou fight, and White doesn’t want to pay him.

Reasonable people can disagree on what a fair amount of money is for Jones to earn, but from what we’ve seen the UFC has been slamming the door in Jones’ face the moment any discussion above and beyond what he’s owed on his current contract is raised. We have a full breakdown of how we got to this point, with much of the action taking place back in May of 2020 when Jones last tried to get a fight with Ngannou set up. Things haven’t really changed since then: White has been generally open to Jones fighting Ngannou, but the moment money is brought up, things change right quick.

“Derrick Lewis is the fight to make, but if Jon Jones really wants that fight….” White said at the UFC 260 press conference. “It’s one thing to say you put on the weight and all that. I promise you, we can call Derrick Lewis and one of these other heavyweights and they want the fight. If Jon Jones really wants the fight, he can do his call in and get the fight.”

The UFC has never hesitated to pit contenders against each other in a race to the bottom as far as pay goes. But one fight is just a fight while the other is a superfight. We’ve got some pretty extensive thoughts on how the UFC seems almost incapable of booking the biggest fights because it threatens to break a business model that is built around paying only 18% to 19.5% of revenue to the fighters. For now, let’s take a look at Jon Jones’ reaction to Dana White’s latest snub after UFC 260.

The next morning, “Bones” had some more thoughts to share.

We think this one goes out to DC?

So the good news is Jones is supposed to see a fight proposal next week, and hopefully it will include a fair offer. The bad news is the UFC is not known for cracking open their wallet after being called out on pay issues. If you’re in their good graces and you catch them on a good day, then maybe you’ll be allowed to renegotiate or get a bonus. But the moment it turns into a strange control thing, Dana White and the gang can get pretty damn obstinate. This is definitely in that territory.