Jon Jones’ absence from the White House card has been explained, with fresh details emerging about why he is not part of the event.
Jones was not included in the line-up for the six-fight event set to take place on June 14, which was confirmed over the weekend.
Dana White’s recent comments did not sit well with ‘Bones’, especially after the UFC president suggested that the former two-weight champion’s hip issues would not allow him to return.
Reports are now indicating that Jones’ absence is not due to an inability to compete. Instead, it is believed that there were significant differences in what both sides wanted, leading negotiations to fall apart.
Jon Jones and UFC reportedly far apart on pay for White House card
In response to Jones’ frustrations, White backed his own stance that the 38-year-old was never slated to appear on the White House card.
Ariel Helwani, speaking about how the UFC Freedom 250 card came together, backed up Jones’ earlier claim that he had been in talks to take part in the event.
According to Helwani, it was the breakdown over pay that kept ‘Bones’ off the card, even if those talks did not go directly through White.
“They couldn’t come to terms on a deal. Without getting too into the numbers, Jon Jones wanted something similar to what he was offered last year to fight Tom Aspinall. They were more comfortable with something similar to what they gave Conor Benn very recently… That was the impasse,” the journalist explained.
Following Conor Benn’s signing with Zuffa Boxing for a one-fight deal against Regis Prograis, Dan Rafael reported that the Briton would be earning $15 million for the bout.
Jones had already mentioned he turned down a $30 million offer to fight Aspinall and unify the heavyweight titles before announcing his retirement back in June.
This points to a significant gap between what Jones wanted and what the UFC was prepared to offer for his comeback.
Ariel Helwani says there could be another fight added to the UFC White House card
Jones is not the only high-profile name missing from the UFC White House event that fans had expected to see on June 14.
Gable Steveson, for example, was mentioned in early discussions but did not make it into the final six-fight line-up unveiled during the UFC 326 broadcast.
Speaking on his show, Helwani mentioned that he has heard talk of a potential seventh fight being added to the card before fight night arrives.
White had already noted that one planned bout fell through just a day before the official announcement.
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