Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will no longer be working with Malki Kawa and First Round Management following an “amicable” split earlier this week. And according to Kawa, it had nothing to do with the (failed) negotiations for a potential Francis Ngannou super fight.
“Sometimes it’s best to just walk away,” Kawa wrote on Instagram. “Glad to have repped the [pound-for-pound] best fighter in Jon Jones for the last 11 years. No, this had nothing to do with his Ngannou negotiations. Jon has been handling that negotiation on his own and has been as he wanted to speak for himself when it came to the last few fights. So no, sorry fans, you can’t blame me. We all agreed it was just best to start over. Abraham and I are working on a lot of major things at [First Round Management] and sometimes you just have to know when to say when.”
Jones has not competed since surrendering his 205-pound strap in summer 2020. The plan was to fight “The Predator” at heavyweight; however, Jones and UFC President Dana White appear to be miles apart on what that fight is actually worth. Whether or not that prompts “Bones” to find new management remains to be seen.