Dana White: Jon Jones is in a much better place

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is probably the best fighter in mixed martial arts history. He lost only via a problematic disqualification, in which controversial referee Steve Mazzagatti asked a deaf Matt Hamil if he was OK following Jones’ landing a vestigially prohibited 12-6 elbow. Jones record against himself is another matter.

In 2015, “Bones” ran his rental into a vehicle operated by a pregnant woman breaking her arm, and then fled; his title was stripped. In 2016, he took a bootleg erectile dysfunction drug, ordered by acquaintances along with prohibited doping drugs; his title was stripped again. In 2017, he tested positive for infinitesimally small quantities of metabolites for turinabol, source never determined, which pulsed on and off for an extended period; his title was stripped for a third time.

Jones’ issues are not limited to USADA violations. He was arrested in 2012, for DUI but avoided jail time. In 2015, he got 18 months probation for the aforementioned leaving the scene of an accident causing injury. In 2016, he was arrested on a probation violation after a drag racing citation. In 2017, UFC president Dana White appeared on The Jim Rome Show, and said he considers these legal issues more telling.

Even worse than that, this guy was looking at jail time,” said White. “This judge gave him another shot and this guy was looking at some serious jail time and a lot of bad stuff and that still didn’t wake him up. If that’s not a wake-up call, you’re unfixable.

On March 26, 2020, Albuquerque police responded to a report of a gunshot and found Jones in a running vehicle and arrested him. Jones was, allegedly:
•Drunk;
•Had cannabis residue on his clothing;
•Had a partial bottle of Jorge Masvidal’s tequila in the Jeep; and,
•Had a handgun in the car matching a spent shell casing next to the vehicle.

Charges were eventually dropped, but it lent credence to White’s “unfixable” comment.

On May 21, 2020 Jones couldn’t come to terms with White over compensation to superfight Francis Ngannou, and threatened retirement.

“Before even discussing numbers, the UFC was unwilling to pay more for the Francis superfight / for me to move to heavyweight,” he tweeted. “Said I could possibly earn more in pay-per-view buys. … It’s been fun you guys, maybe I’ll see you all in a year or two.”

White was unmoved.

“For the amount of money he asking for, it’s not gonna happen,” said White. “You couldn’t be asking for a more absurd amount of money at a worse time.”

White implied Jones wanted $25-30 million; Jones said he never threw a number and called White a f***ing liar on social media.

However, during a recent appearance on the “SHOUT!” podcast, White said the relationship between he and Jones has greatly improved.

I think he’s in a much better place than he has been, said White. I think mentally, emotionally, whatever it might be, he’s in a much better place. We had a really good phone conversation. He’s taking some time off.

He’s excited to come back. He’s excited to fight again. This is one of those sports you have to be 100 percent in, in every way you could be in, to want to do this. I think he’s there. I think that’s where he is now. … The guy is literally undefeated and has beaten the who’s who. Now he’s going to move up to heavyweight. If he continues to win fights at heavyweight, it’s hard to deny Jon Jones.