.png)
German (DE) 
English (US) 
Spanish (ES) 
French (FR) 
Hindi (IN) 
Italian (IT) 
Russian (RU) 
4 hours ago
1
Dana White’s unwavering defense of UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones as the no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter has become a recurring theme in seemingly every post-fight press conference he is in, even when the event has nothing to do with Jones. Despite Jones’s lengthy suspensions, legal troubles, and sporadic fight schedule, White consistently talks about his dominance.
Because of his partiality towards Jones, journalists constantly ask him for any update on Jones.
Dana White
GettyImages
Case in point, White faced a barrage of questions about his future at the UFC 316 post-fight press conference in Newark, New Jersey. The heavyweight champion’s reluctance to fight interim titleholder Tom Aspinall has sparked widespread speculation, with Jones even hinting at retirement.
He acknowledged the limitations of his influence on Jones, saying, “Listen, if the guy wants to retire and doesn't want to fight, [there's] nothing you can do.”
He continued citing other UFC champions who retired early, admitting, “I didn't want Khabib [Nurmagomedov] to retire. I thought [Daniel Cormier] should have stuck around longer. It's none of my business. I'll do what I can to make the fight if we can. If he's talking that crazy s***, I didn't realize that.”
White, however, remained steadfast in his belief that Jones had already agreed to the Aspinall fight, despite the swirling rumors.
He asserted, "Unless you hear it come from [my mouth] or we put out a press release, don’t believe any of this bullsh—. Unless we come out and say something, it’s all bullsh—. But yes, Jon agreed to fight Tom, fact.”
While he urged fans to ignore unverified rumors, he also gave his opinion on fans launching a viral petition to strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title.
“Every human on Earth was DM’ing it to me,” White said. “It’s kind of f—ing silly.”
White’s patience is clearly being tested by fans and by Jones. Whether Jones steps into the cage against Aspinall or walks away, fans can only wait for an official update.
Comments