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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been in the headlines throughout the past few weeks. First, it was the talks of a superfight with heavyweight knockout artist Francis Ngannou. Jones wanted to move up a weight class to take on Ngannou but the negotiations took a nosedive when UFC President Dana White rejected Jones' demands for an increase in pay for his upcoming fight.
White then publically blamed Jones for the failed negotiations, claiming that the champ asked for “Deontay Wilder money”. An irate Jones then took to Twitter to launch a barrage of verbal attacks on the UFC frontman, calling him a liar and asking him to reveal the text messages Jones sent him. Jones went a step further and asked for a release from his current UFC contract. Jones then concluded his Twitter onslaught by saying that he is vacating his light heavyweight title.
Jones' announcement comes as a shocker to the MMA community and many still don't believe that the champ is serious about vacating the title. However, Jones' former foe Daniel Cormier believes that the former isn't fooling around. Speaking to ESPN recently, DC said that "Bones" has learned to live without the title during a couple of years he was out of action, serving a suspension for the use of PEDs.
“I believe that he is more serious about walking away because in all those times that he was suspended and hurt and all that other stuff - gone - he kinda learned to live without that belt. For a long time he held the belt that when he lost the belt the first time, he probably thought his world was ending. But then he was gone for two years and life probably didn’t seem all that different. So he’s probably looking at life right now and understanding that, ‘if I walk away from this belt, is my life really gonna change all that much?’ I think that gives him comfort, and being able to say the things that he’s saying. So I think to a degree he does believe, I do believe, that he’s serious.”
If Jon Jones is worth it, the UFC will definitely pay, says Cormier
Cormier believes that the UFC would certainly pay Jones a good amount to fight Ngannou if they believe that the pay-per-view is going to do well. At the end of the day, Cormier believes that it's on the fans to purchase the fight and show massive interest which will in turn make the UFC give Jones the amount he's asking for to show up against Ngannou.
“I am almost 100 percent certain that the UFC would pay a $7-8 million base for him to go fight Francis, and if he’s such a big star and it’s going to do so well, then maybe the pay-per-view will get you to the number that you want it to be. If it has as much intrigue as people are saying it does. And then that’s on the fans. It’s on the fans who are supporting you in this fight to go out and purchase the fight and when they do, now you make all the money that you need. That’s how I feel.”
