Jon Jones wants $30 million to fight Francis Ngannou, says Dana White

UFC president Dana White confirmed that promotional superstar Jon Jones is hoping to make $30 million to fight heavyweight Francis Ngannou.

After Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to become the new UFC heavyweight champion, White mentioned that Derrick Lewis would likely be next in line to fight for the belt. That confused a lot of fans who assumed that Jones would be the next man in line to fight the winner of Jones vs. Miocic for the title. Jones later took to his social media to say that the UFC was lowballing him and that their offer of $10 million was not enough to take the fight. Now we have a better idea of the number that Jones is looking at.

Speaking on the Bill Simmons podcast, White confirmed that the UFC is currently targeting Ngannou vs. Lewis, while also saying that Jones wants $30 million to fight Ngannou.

“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,” White said (h/t MMAjunkie.com).

“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.”

It will be interesting to see if Jones responds to these comments from White about his pay. What is clear, however, is that the UFC currently prefers Lewis to fight Ngannou next.

Do you think Jon Jones should get $30 million to fight Francis Ngannou?