Jon Jones’ public indignation with the UFC continued Wednesday when the former champion threw out some potential contract numbers.
Jones, a former light heavyweight champ, vacated that title in 2020 so he could move up to heavyweight. When Francis Ngannou (16-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) knocked out Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) this past Saturday to win the heavyweight belt at UFC 260, much of the talk turned to the potential for Ngannou vs. Jones later this year.
But Jones’ recent spats with the UFC, most of which have been centered around how much he gets paid, have bubbled back to the forefront. And Wednesday, Jones said he told Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s executive vice president and chief business officer, that a payday between $8 million and $10 million for a heavyweight title fight “would be way too low.”
“I had a brief phone meeting with UFC‘s lawyer Hunter a few days ago,” Jones posted on Twitter. “As of right now I expressed to him that anywhere around eight to $10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. That’s all that has been discussed so far.
“I’m supposed to be waiting for what their offer is going to be. Really hoping the numbers are nowhere near that low. I guess we will see what happens. … One thing I’m sure of, I’ve never had more people excited to see A fight than they are now, I literally can’t walk to my mail box without someone asking me about the fight.
“I’ve been working my ass off for years, concussions, surgeries, fighting the Toughest competition UFC had to offer throughout my 20s for right around 2 million per fight. I’m just trying to have my payday, the fight that all of us fighters Believe is one day possible.”
I had a brief phone meeting with UFC‘s lawyer Hunter a few days ago. As of right now I expressed to him that anywhere around eight to $10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. That’s all that has been discussed so far.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) March 31, 2021
If Jones isn’t Ngannou’s first title defense, it may be Derrick Lewis, who has a four-fight winning streak in the division. Jones’ next fight at heavyweight will be his first.
Lewis on Wednesday tweeted a comment in response to Jones’ payday hopes intimating he’d gladly take $8 million to fight Ngannou.
I’ll do it for 8 million shiiiittt @ufc
— Derrick Lewis (@Thebeast_ufc) March 31, 2021
Through additional tweets, Jones said he thinks he was “grossly underpaid” throughout his 20s, and that a fight with Ngannou, if the UFC makes it, has “the potential to bring in hundreds of thousands of new fans from around the world.”
Check out the chronology of Jones’ Wednesday tweet storm below. It will be updated throughout Wednesday with any potential further Jones comments on the issue on social media.
Jon Jones: $8 million from UFC to fight Francis Ngannou still is ‘way too low’