Dana White reveals Jon Jones demanded "absurd amount of money" to face Francis Ngannou

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones claimed this month that he is looking to move to the heavyweight division in the near future, as he believes he has nothing more to prove in the 185 lbs unit. Jon Jones then went on to tease a potential matchup against heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou for his heavyweight move. However, it appears that Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou will not be happening anytime soon since UFC President Dana White ruled out the possibility of the matchup this week.

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UFC: Dana White claims Jon Jones demanded “absurd amount of money” for Francis Ngannou fight

While Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou teased MMA fans with a possible fight following several tweets, UFC President Dana White revealed that the heavyweight contest will not go through due to the sheer amount of financial resources it would take to schedule the contest. MMA journalist Brett Okamoto broke the news on Twitter and revealed that Jon Jones demanded a huge amount of money to step in the cage opposite Francis Ngannou, which UFC President Dana White did not approve. Speaking to ESPN, Dana White said “For the amount of money he (Jon Jones) was asking for, it’s not going to happen. He (Jon Jones) couldn’t be asking for a more absurd amount of money at a worse time.”

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, UFC has been hosting live events behind closed doors. Though PPV revenue and online viewership have kept UFC running, the loss of revenue from gate sales has hit UFC hard. Dana White believes that UFC cannot afford to pay an “absurd amount of money” to Jon Jones just for the sake of hosting the heavyweight clash against Francis Ngannou. However, Dana White acknowledged that Jon Jones is unquestionably the greatest fighter of all time.

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UFC: Jon Jones to feature in the light heavyweight division again?

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has already stated that he is looking forward to facing Jan Blachowicz next. After failing to materialise the fight opposite Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones went on to label UFC’s call as a “bad business decision”. The 32-year-old also offered a title fight to Jan Blachowicz, continuing his stay in the light heavyweight roster.

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Image courtesy: UFC