"Jon Jones is a partner in the business" - Dana White confident about eventually settling differences with Jon Jones

This isn't the first time UFC president Dana White is having to deal with a wantaway superstar fighter. During his tenure as the president of the UFC, White has had to deal with many such situations where a disagreement with a fighter has led to a heated exchange of words in public but the UFC frontman is confident that he will be able to work things out with reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Jon Jones and Dana White have been at loggerheads over the past few weeks regarding the issue of the former's pay raise for a high-risk heavyweight clash against Francis Ngannou. White publically said that Jones demanded an "absurd" sum of money for his next Octagon outing; a sum similar to what boxer Deontay Wilder made in his last fight against Tyson Fury.

Jones immediately retorted by calling White a liar and asking him to reveal the text messages he sent the latter, asking for an increase in payment for a superfight against Ngannou. Jones was miffed to the point where he took to Twitter to declare that he is vacating his lightweight title and walking away from the UFC, and probably the sport of MMA itself.

While the differences between Jones and White haven't been settled yet, the UFC frontman is confident that he will be able to work out a deal with Jones that sees the latter stay back and continue to fight in the UFC.

In a recent appearance on Eddie Hearn’s Talk the Talk podcast, Jones acknowledged the fact that there are some differences between him and Jones, but referring to the champ as a "partner" in the business, White said that a point will come when both parties will eventually want to strike a middle ground, just like in any other relationship going through a rough patch.

“You’re not always going to agree on everything. Jon Jones and I do not agree on something right now. We’re having a disagreement, but Jon Jones is a partner in this business. Conor McGregor is a partner in this business. The list goes on and on. When you get to that level, when you become a star or a world champion like these guys are, they’re a partner. We don’t agree right now on things, and we’re going to fight and we say things, the thing that’s going on in public, and eventually you get to a point where you get tired of fighting and you figure it out. It’s like any other relationship.”

Speaking about the decision to refer to Jones as a partner in the business that is the UFC, White said that superstars like Jones become partner in the business because they earn money from the pay-per-view sales and help in selling the events organized by the promotion. That's how all parties involved make money. White stressed on the fact that superstars like Jones, McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Anderson Silva bring something different to the table which ultimately benefits the promotion which is why they are treated differently than the rest.

“The way that it works in the UFC, these guys that become these big stars, become partners. They become partners in the pay-per-view and selling the pay-per-view. That’s how we all make money. But every one of those guys that you mentioned from the Chuck Liddells to the Anderson Silvas to the Georges St-Pierres to the Jon Joneses, Ronda Rousey, they all brought something different to the table.”