UFC light heavyweight champion, and the GOAT in many pundits’ eyes is willing to walk away from the sport for a considerable amount of time. Jon Jones is back in the news today after he appeared on Steve-O’s Wild Ride Podcast. Jones was asked about his feelings on the UFC and Jones stated, “I have no interest in fighting for the UFC.” When asked some follow-up questions, Jones talked about being willing to sit out to benefit fighters down the line.
Jon Jones believes other fighters will benefit from his willingness to sit out. pic.twitter.com/YOQacoQVpj
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 25, 2020
Where does Jones and the UFC stand?
The short answer is not in a good place. After all of his ups and downs, Jones returned in December of 2018. Jones fought four times in fourteen months leading many to believe Jones was back for good. It was the most active we had ever seen Jones in his career. When the pandemic hit, a lot of things changed with Jones and the UFC. By all accounts, Jones and the UFC were on good terms. That is until Jones started asking for a raise to fight UFC heavyweight contender, Francis Ngannou.
When Jones went to the UFC and asked for more money, he was shut down immediately. Jones claims he never asked for a specific dollar amount while Dana White claims that Jones’ demands were astronomical. Following White’s comments, a very public back and forth began between the two men. Jones went as far as to demand a release from the UFC.
Where do we go from here?
Now, we are in this weird spot. Things have seemingly calmed down, and Dana White has sounded more optimistic lately even saying that they would, “Work it out.” However, Jones’ appearances on Steve-O’s podcast would seemingly indicate otherwise. Jones continues to reiterate that he wants no part of the UFC, and he feels that sitting out now will move the needle more in the direction of the fighters.
I really think they will get this worked out eventually. The UFC has had a long history of making deals with fighters that are difficult. However, Daniel Cormier brought up a good point recently when he talked about the fact that Jones being out for a long time made him realize he’s able to live a life outside the UFC. Jon Jones doesn’t need the UFC. He’s made enough money to retire. If he walks away now, many people would label him the greatest to ever do it. It’ll be facinating to watch this continue to play out. I think it’s going to simmer down for a while, but I think Jones could be approached by the UFC after the August title fight between Cormier and Stipe Miocic. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Jon Jones in the UFC, but I’m not sure when he’ll be back.