“As long as Jon Jones is still fighting, active, and in the rankings, nobody [else] is pound-for-pound the best fighter,” said Dana White. The UFC Supremo has always stated that there’s no one in MMA who could compete with Jones as long as he is there on the roster. One might think that Jon Jones and Dana White are having the best of relationships after these statements, but sorry to disappoint you—the reality is a bit different.

Dana White might have lauded Jon Jones as the greatest fighter on Earth; however, when it comes to doing business with him, everything takes a 180-degree turn. In his recent escapade with ‘The Big Podcast With Shaq’, White took Jones out of his equation of the top five. Let’s have a look at what the UFC supremo has said about Jones.

Dana White gave his honest take on his relationship with Jon Jones

In his journey to become the biggest name in the world of MMA promotion, Dana White has a list of several fighters, who became the favorites of the CEO and you might be shocked that it doesn’t involve Jon Jones.

While having a conversation with Shaquille O’Neal on his podcast, Dana White named Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor among his top bets for business but he never named Jon Jones, and when the host asked him the question, ‘Why not Jones,’ White emphasized that despite being a good fighter, Jones is a bad man to do business with. “No, he didn’t say “best ever work,” said White.

He further added, “Okay, listen, I, and that’s the thing about when I talk about Jon Jones, it’s not like I’m trying to say, you know, these other people that I had great relationships with are the greatest of all time. Jon Jones and I have not had a great relationship as far as business goes, but that doesn’t, you know, twist my judgment. He is the greatest combat fighter of all time, period. End of story. There’s not even an argument.”

Talking from a business point of view, Dana White has always been a bit defensive when it came to disclosing who is easiest to deal with, however, this has not stopped him from applauding McGregor, who is arguably the easiest to deal with when it comes to doing business – “He’s actually been one of the easiest guys to deal with. Conor McGregor would be perfect if he showed up everywhere on time… He’s been great to work with… I look at Conor as a great partner… Believe me, I’ve dealt with some bad guys in the past that will do dirty sh*t to try to hold you up for more money… Conor is not that guy.”

McGregor was arguably the face of MMA, but it was Ronda Rousey who convinced Dana White, initially skeptical of women in MMA, that female fighters could excel in the sport. The former bantamweight champion was probably the first woman’s fighter who made White go wow, “She’s a real fighter, and she’s very talented. She has the credentials, the pedigree; I mean everything. I think she has that ‘it’ factor. I think she’s going to be a big superstar,” White said once.

Jon Jones on the other hand has been on hiatus for a year now due to his pectoral injury and his absence is keeping the entire heavyweight division stuck. This was one of the reasons why the heavyweight division has two different champions. Regardless, this was not the first time when White called out Jon Jones for his irresponsible behavior.

The time when White was completely fed up with ‘Bones’

At the start of the year, UFC anti-trust filings revealed a conversation between Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta about Jon Jones. Back in 2014, the promotion wanted to book a rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. However, ‘Bones’ never wanted to have a rematch with Gustafsson, rather he wanted to clash with Daniel Cormier. This back-and-forth forced Dana White to go against Jon Jones.

“What’s up with Jones? Did he straighten up or is he still being a scumbag?” White texted Fertitta in frustration. Fertitta then replied with a, “Still a douche, but we’re inching closer. Haven’t moved on money, but sent the letter with an ultimatum.” White replied with a rather candid take, “F*** that punk, Lorenzo. He needs to know we don’t need him, or he will f*** us over more than he already does.”

Years have passed since that incident and Jon Jones has become a legend in the promotion. However, the relationship between the fighter and the promoter seems to have remained ‘okay’ at best. What’s your take on Dana White’s opinion of Jon Jones? State your thoughts in the comments below.