Jason Burgos
UFC legend Jon Jones really wants to get on next year’s UFC White House card, and he is taking a new approach to make the fight he badly wants to happen.
There is no doubt that Jones is the greatest fighter in UFC history. But unfortunately, there are asterisks all over his career. There have long been rumors of PED use, and he has had unusual results on drug tests. Plus, he had several run-ins with the law and has been accused of domestic violence more than once.
Yet, the real reason Dana White has shown little interest in putting him on the historic card is understandable pettiness. Publicly, the UFC CEO has said Jones’ history of having to pull out of fights, including on very late notice, is making him hesitant to include him in the event.
However, while there may be some truth to that claim, most believe the real reason was the former heavyweight kings’ unwillingness to take part in a unification bout with interim champ Tom Aspinall earlier this year.
Jon Jones record: 28-1 (11 KOs, 7 submissions)
It seems that “Bones” is finally coming to terms with that fact and has realized that just saying he wants to come out of retirement and bring his star power to the huge event is not enough. It now looks like the former two-division champion is ready to humble himself and grovel a bit for the opportunity.
“We had a verbal agreement that didn’t go over well. Nothing was finalized, but I was wrong. The way things went down, I was wrong,” Jones told the No Scripts Podcast about failed negotiations for the fight with Aspinall.
“… I wish I could see him face-to-face, and just apologize to him, so we can let bygones be bygones.”
It would not be surprising at all if Jones and White eventually did have a sit-down chat. The UFC boss has always had a soft spot for the MMA great despite all the baggage that comes with him. Furthermore, the company needs more big-name American talent to compete at the White House card. Jones would check off a lot of boxes. This story is far from settled.
