Dana White doesn’t expect Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou to take place anytime soon.
Recently, Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) publicized that negotiations fell through when the UFC was unwilling to elevate his pay to move up a weight class to fight Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC).
In an interview with ESPN on Thursday, White confirmed the difference between Jones’ asking price and the UFC’s potential offering was a red flag.
“It’s one thing if you come out and say, ‘Yeah, listen, I want a little more money,’” White said. “The amount of money Jon Jones wanted doesn’t make (sense). First of all, you have, in the light heavyweight division, the Dominick Reyes fight as the fight that makes sense. So is Jon Jones going to go and fight Francis Ngannou, then try to take a run at the heavyweight title? I don’t believe that. He’s never wanted to move to heavyweight before.
“For the amount of money he’s asking for, it’s not going to happen. You couldn’t be asking for a more absurd amount of money at a worse time.”
Jones, 32, most recently competed at UFC 247 in February, where he won a close split decision over Dominick Reyes. White reiterated a Reyes rematch or a fight against Polish contender Jan Blachowicz would make more sense for the UFC light heavyweight champion Jones.
“We’ve got guys lined up at light heavyweight, whether it’s Jan Blachowicz or Dominick Reyes,” White said.
Despite the criticism of Jones’ monetary request, White pulled no punches on analyzing his 205-pound champion. White rattled off all of the reasons Jones is, at least in his eyes, the greatest fighter ever.
“Listen, there’s no debate,” White said. “Jon Jones in the GOAT. Jon Jones is the greatest to ever do it. There’s no debate about it if you look at what the guy has accomplished, and what he was doing while he accomplished these things. You know what I mean?”