Recently, Dana White gave an update on the UFC heavyweight division’s title picture and said Derrick Lewis will probably fight Francis Ngannou next. It’s a shocking decision from UFC as arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, Jon Jones is waiting to take on Ngannou on his heavyweight debut.
However, there has been a dispute between Jon Jones and Dana White regarding his fight purse for this super fight. And it seems, Francis Ngnnou vs Derrick Lewis is a done deal now. Now Jon Jones can fight the winner of Ngannou vs Lewis assuming he can negotiate a more suitable offer for the fight. But, there is a possibility that Jon Jones will stay out of the action for a long time.
Read More: Francis Ngannou says Jon Jones deserves to get paid for the heavyweight debut
On Bill Simmon’s podcast, Dana White revealed the details about his negotiation with Jon Jones and stated:
“In his deal, he’s talking he wants $30 million guaranteed. The way that this works is these guys all share in the pay-per-view. He will share in the profits of the fight. That’s how it works. That’s how you run a business, and you don’t go broke.”
Dana White says Derrick Lewis deserves the fight more than Jon Jones
Dana White also claimed that Derrick Lewis deserves the heavyweight title shot more than Jones. Now if you consider the fact that Lewis has already beaten Ngannou, and he has looked very impressive in his last few fights, Lewis vs Ngannou rematch does make sense. However, fans have been waiting to see Jon Jones at the heavyweight division for a long time. And when he is finally ready, unfortunately, UFC and Jones can not find a middle ground to make this historic fight happen. White continued:
“We tried to work with Jon, and we eventually have to move on because realistically, and in all honesty, Derrick Lewis is the guy who deserves the fight. Derrick Lewis is a heavyweight, he beat Francis Ngannou, he’s looked good in his last couple of fights, he’s ranked in the top three, I think, and he deserves the fight. That’s the fight that should happen. We’ll just roll and do what we do. When Jon’s ready, he’ll let us know,”.
Jones has made it clear that he only wants to fight for the UFC heavyweight title next irrespective of the opponent or timeline. He has no intentions of going down to the light heavyweight division as well. But, when is he going to return to the octagon is still uncertain.