There is trouble in paradise at the Ultimate Fighting Championships.
The UFC’s consensus Greatest Of All Time, Jon “Bones” Jones is not feeling the organization for not respecting his paper.
Apparently, Jones has been looking to move from his throne as the current light heavyweight champion and seek bigger challenges as a heavyweight.
More specifically, he wants to fight French-Cameroonian heavyweight sensation, Francis Ngannou. However, Jones wants more than the $5 million-plus he currently receives.
It all started when UFC president, Dana White appeared on ESPN MMA with some choice words.
“It’s one thing if you come out and say you want a little more money, the amount of money Jon Jones wanted, first of all in the light heavyweight division, the Dominick Reyes fight is the fight that makes sense,” White said.
“So is Jon Jones going to go and fight Francis Ngannou and then take a run at the heavyweight title? I don’t believe that,” White said. “He’s never wanted to move to heavyweight before and for the amount of money, he’s asking for, it’s not going to happen. You couldn’t be asking for a more absurd amount of money at a worse time.”
Jones caught wind of the interview and retweeted it with his extreme displeasure.
Currently, most athletes in the UFC make a certain amount of money to show up and win bonuses. Additionally, if they win impressively, the fighters can receive win bonuses like KO of the night, submission of the night, and fight of the night.
Champions and high box office draws like Jones also receive a percentage of the pay-per-view points.
Bag Talk
As the UFC grows and its fighters become more popular, the fighters are looking at their neighbors in boxing and are salivating over the difference.
Jones referenced Deontay Wilder, who is a former WBC heavyweight boxing world champion. However, boxing operates differently with higher guarantees and pay-per-view upside. There is also that little revenue incentive called merchandise, where boxers usually control that portion.
The UFC has a deal with Reebok and banned any outside sponsorship logos or gear, even down to the cut men.
As Jones was pretty vehement in the exchange, he ultimately left the door open to leave the organization. Looks like the next move is on Dana White.
