LAS VEGAS – Despite Jon Jones’ backlash, UFC boss Dana White insists he never intended on having him compete at the White House.
Last week, Jones said he was in negotiations to compete at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, but White claimed that Jones was never remotely in his mind to fight. White didn’t deny that Jones’ side was interested, but White himself didn’t have any plans for him to compete.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) took umbrage with White saying there weren’t any negotiations and went on a later-deleted X rant.
“I never said that there were no negotiations,” White told reporters at the Zuffa Boxing 4 post-fight press conference on Sunday night. “I said, ‘Were they talking to Jon Jones? They talk to everybody.’ Everybody was talked to, but not one word of what I said was not true about the whole Jon Jones thing. How many times have I sat up here and said, ‘He’s not fighting at the White House.’ No. And have you guys not all seen the video of the dude with the Meta glasses on when he didn’t know he was being filmed telling him that his hips are f*cking shot and he needs hip replacement?
“Did you not see the videos of him running in the flag football game? What did I say that wasn’t true? It’s all true, and you guys all bust my balls about how much I love Jon Jones. And Jon is the greatest of all time. No way in hell Jon was going to be booked for the White House card, wasn’t going to happen. But the matchmakers were out talking to everybody, seeing what was possible and they brought me every possible fight that could be made.”
UFC Freedom 250 will feature the heavyweight division when Ciryl Gane and former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira battle for the interim belt in the co-main event.
