With Dana White doubling down on a Ngannou/Lewis summer rematch, that leaves more possibilities for what could be next for Jon Jones, including the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Dana White continues to appear detached when addressing the negotiations for Jon Jones to fight Francis Ngannou for the UFC heavyweight championship. Jones has made no secret of the fact that he believes he should net a boatload of money for a fight the magnitude of a heavyweight showdown with Ngannou, but according to White, that boat would need to be loaded with $30 million.
Once Dana White’s $30 million revelation got out, Jones questioned where White heard that figure and then the former light heavyweight kingpin abruptly split with his management days later. When this news hit, many fans began to speculate if this could open the door to a new wave of negotiations between Jones and the UFC. UFC President Dana White says not necessarily.
“Whether Jon has a manager or not, Jon is gonna do what Jon wants to do,” White said in a TSN interview on Monday. “So it’s probably something that Jon needs to work out. Him and Hunter (Campbell) have a good relationship, so I think those guys are gonna get together soon and talk.”
Dana White Reiterates That The Ball Is In Jones’s Court
It’s not often that the UFC President is this much in the dark about a potential deal of this magnitude, but it becomes much likelier to happen when the other party believes the boss has it out for him.
In one of Jones’s rants in recent weeks, he expressed that he is convinced that White simply does not like him and should just release him from his contract so he can take his talents elsewhere. White believes his track record when discussing Jones says otherwise and that whether or not a deal gets done solely falls on Jones and Jones alone.
“Listen, you look at the last however many years people ask me who I think the best ever is and I say Jon Jones,” White said. “Jon Jones is a massive part of the history of this company. Wherever you stand, whether you think it’s him, Anderson, Khabib, GSP, wherever you stand on that, he’s one of the best of all time. And obviously, there’s still some big fights that can be made with him. We would love to do it. It’s not like we can’t get something done over here. It’s up to Jon.”
Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Next?
Whatever Jones decides, it doesn’t look like it will have any bearing on Francis Ngannou’s next fight, as White confirmed in a separate interview with ESPN that Ngannou/Lewis 2 is definitely taking place this summer. So where does that leave Jon Jones? As it happens, there is a certain heavyweight GOAT who is motivated, bulking up, and also doesn’t have a fight lined up…
“I like that he’s fired up and wants to fight again,” White said of Miocic after proclaiming him as the heavyweight GOAT. “But yeah, listen, we could do Jon and Stipe, too.”
Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic have teased fighting one another in the past, and this would also be a major payday for “Bones,” even if the fight isn’t as big as a Ngannou/Jones title fight. It sounds like a long shot, but if Jones and Miocic do not want to wait around for Ngannou/Lewis to fight and heal, we could very well see one division’s consensus goat vs. another in 2021.
How stoked would you be to see a fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic?
