Jon Jones is adamant he could still do business with UFC CEO Dana White.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) was meant to unify his UFC heavyweight belt with Tom Aspinall, but opted to retire instead. UFC Freedom 250 at the White House motivated him to re-enter the drug-testing pool, but White did not grant him his wish of competing on this past month’s event.
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As a result, the former UFC two-division champion requested his release from the UFC after feeling snubbed out of the event, even though White insists Jones was never even in consideration for it. Despite their recent differences, Jones insists he respects White.
“I feel like in order to do big business, you can’t hold grudges,” Jones told Ring Magazine. “You’ve got to be able to let bygones be bygones. You have to be able to work with people that you don’t love. I’ve made Dana millions of dollars over the years, and he’s made me millions of dollars over the years, so it’s not always how you feel about a person.
“It’s just, can we still work together? Can we still do business together? And I feel like we’re always going to be able to make money together. Will I be invited to his house on Christmas? Probably not. But the guy changed my life, and he is a homie for life. And despite how he feels about me, I’m always going to give him that respect.”
Jones ran into White during this past Saturday’s UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-ins, when Jones was accompanying Gable Steveson to the stage. They shook hands, and White revealed that Jones sarcastically told him, “Hey, your best friend is here.” White said he responded by saying, “Good to see you. Have a good night,” and said that Jones thinks he hates him, but he doesn’t. The pair later took a photo together.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jon Jones always going to give Dana White respect: ‘He’s a homie for life’
