UFC President Dana White spoke out on the Bill Simmons podcast and revealed that a certain anticipated match-up was off the table. Chiefly, former UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones was primed to fight for the heavyweight title. Following Francis Ngannou’s KO victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, it seemed as though the fight was a given.

However, things quickly fell apart once it was clear that Jon Jones and the UFC were way off on a contract. Jones believed the UFC were lowballing him with a disclosed offer of $8-10 million. While the negotiations fell out of the public eye eventually, it didn’t take long for the money dispute narrative to be re-introduced.

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Dana White and Jon Jones: Clashing heads

White revealed that negotiations with Jon Jones had reached a standstill and that it was now time to move on. Furthermore, he expanded on the idea of Derrick Lewis stepping up and facing Ngannou given his body of work at heavyweight. It’s no surprise that the UFC has called upon ‘The Black Beast’, given that he’ll accept the fight for much less money.

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“We tried to work with Jon, and we eventually have to move on because realistically, and in all honesty, Derrick Lewis is the guy who deserves the fight. Derrick Lewis is a heavyweight, he beat Francis Ngannou, he’s looked good in his last couple of fights, he’s ranked in the top three.”

“I think, and he deserves the fight. That’s the fight that should happen. We’ll just roll and do what we do. When Jon’s ready, he’ll let us know,” said White. (h/t BJ Penn.com).

Will the relationship between Jones and the UFC return on solid ground?

White revealed the guaranteed purse that ‘Bones’ was looking for to fight Ngannou. Furthermore, the UFC President explained the business model he was comfortable with and gave an indication to Jones as to what would eventually work.

“In his deal, he’s talking he wants $30 million guaranteed. The way that this works is, these guys all share in the pay-per-view. He will share in the profits of the fight. That’s how it works. That’s how you run a business, and you don’t go broke.”

As one would expect, Jon Jones came out and addressed White’s comments on the negotiations. In fact, Jones went so far as to completely dispel the figure quoted by the long-time boss of the UFC.

The situation between Jones and the UFC continues to take twists and turns for the worse. He hasn’t fought since February 2020 and fans can expect to see him on the sidelines for a meaningful period. However, there’s no doubt that there’s plenty of fan interest in a Jones vs Ngannou match-up.