Jon Jones’ beef with the UFC and his current contract is still going strong. The UFC light heavyweight champion has not been shy about his dissatisfaction with negotiations with the promotion, and now he is threatening a lengthy holdout if things don’t change.
In fact, the way things currently stand, Jones says that he has no interest in fighting under the UFC banner and it appears he is willing to permanently holdout unless he receives a significant raise.
And while there is obviously some self-interest to earn more money while he’s at the top of the sport, the decision to escalate his contract dispute with UFC boss Dana White is something he hopes can ultimately help entry-level UFC fighters as well.
“I don’t want to fight soon,” Jones said during an appearance on the Wild Ride! podcast with Steve-O. “I have no interest in fighting in the UFC until I get paid what I believe I’m worth.
“I’m not asking for anything outrageous, and I know we’re in a pandemic, and I know when you’re a multimillionaire and you’re asking for more, it makes you seem like this greedy person. I’m very aware of all of this, but I’m also very aware that I have the voice and the platform to make change.”
“Most of the guys who are doing the absolute worst are not in the position that they can say publicly, ‘I have a second job, I’m borrowing money from my parents,'” Jones added. “I know so many fighters who are living in the Jackson Wink MMA gym because they can’t afford to have their own apartment, and they’re UFC fighters. So this is sad.”
So just how long could the contract dispute last? According to Jones, he is willing to sit out for years.
“If I have to have a bad relationship with Dana, sit out for two years, three years, to bring light to what’s happening, then these are the things people remember you for more than winning belts. I stood for the younger fighters,” he said, via Yahoo Sports.
And if things get too personal or the relationship is fractured beyond repair, Jones would like to finish his career with another promotion.
“If it has gotten to a place of being personal, I would just much rather work for a company where I felt like I went home.”
