“Dana White changed my life,” Jon Jones Reveals Why His Relationship with UFC President Soured: “I Was Wrong”
Dana White will forever champion Jon Jones as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
With that said, the relationship between White and the former two-division UFC champion has been strained for many years. Much of it centers on Jones’ frequent run-ins with the law and anti-doping violations, which have led to ‘Bones’ being stripped of UFC gold twice during his career.
During an appearance on the No Scripts podcast, Jones revealed that his relationship with White further soured after he admittedly reneged on a verbal agreement.
“Dana has changed my life,” Jones said. “He has changed my children’s lives, and I’m forever grateful to him. We had a verbal agreement that didn’t go over well. Nothing was finalized. But I do admit guilt—not guilt, but you know, I was wrong. I wish that I could see him face to face and apologize so we can let bygones be bygones and get back to making some major money for the sport and really entertaining these fans.”
The “verbal agreement” likely refers to the long-rumored heavyweight unification clash between Jones and then-interim titleholder Tom Aspinall.
Jon Jones agreed to fight Tom Aspinall before hightailing it out of the UFC
Jones held the undisputed heavyweight belt for a total of 27 months, though he only defended the crown once, much of that due to a pectoral injury he suffered whilst preparing for a fight against Stipe Miocic in 2023. With the division held up for an entire year while Jones recovered, the UFC instituted an interim title, which Apsinall won via a quick-fire finish over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
‘Bones’ returned in 2024 and handily defeated Miocic, setting the stage for a bout between himself and Aspianll, who had already defended the interim belt once against Curtis Blaydes.
According to multiple reports, Jones had asked for an obscene amount of money, which the UFC allegedly agreed to. Unfortunately, the fight never came to fruition after Jones opted to back out entirely and announced his “retirement” from fighting altogether.
The decision left White understandably frustrated after he’d practically guaranteed fans that Jones vs. Aspinall would happen in 2025.
Now that Jones has unretired and is actively campaigning to fight Alex Pereira at the UFC’s anticipated event at the White House in June, ‘Bones’ is desperately trying to bury the hatchet with White.
