Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White and former light
heavyweight champion Jon Jones were
at odds.
The two men engaged in a very
public dispute regarding negotations for a potential
heavyweight clash between Jones and Francis
Ngannou, with White claiming that “Bones” asked for something
in the neighborhood of $25 million to $30 million to accept that
bout. Jones responded by calling White a “f—-ing liar” on social
media, while the UFC boss implied that the fighter’s personal
issues outside the cage hindered his earnings potential.
As 2020 draws to a close, White and Jones seem to have made amends.
Jones officially vacated the 205-pound throne in August with plans
for a move to heavyweight, and things don’t seem to be nearly as
tense between the Jackson-Wink MMA standout and the Las Vegas-based
promotion.
“I think he’s in a much better place than he has been,” White said
on the “SHOUT!” podcast.
“I think mentally, emotionally, whatever it might be, he’s in a
much better place. We had a really good phone conversation. He’s
taking some time off.”
Jones has been working hard for a move to the big man’s division,
with a target weight of 245 pounds heading into his first
heavyweight camp. A date for his debut in the new weight class is
currently unknown. In recent months, Jones did not disguise the
fact that the potential options at light heavyweight did not excite
him. That seems to have changed with this pending move.
“He’s excited to come back,” White said. “He’s excited to fight
again. This is one of those sports you have to be 100 percent in,
in every way you could be in, to want to do this. I think he’s
there. I think that’s where he is now. … The guy is literally
undefeated and has beaten the who’s who. Now he’s going to move up
to heavyweight. If he continues to win fights at heavyweight, it’s
hard to deny Jon
Jones.”