Jon Jones says $ 8-10million in UFC is ‘way too low’ for Francis Ngannou fight, Derrick Lewis responds

Jon Jones has entered negotiations with the UFC in hopes that a deal can be negotiated for a showdown with new heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

The longtime light heavyweight king took to Twitter on Wednesday to reveal details of a recent conversation with UFC Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell as the talks were in progress. course for what could be a massive fight for promotion.

“I had a brief phone meeting with the lawyer for UFC Hunter a few days ago,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Right now, I told him that $ 8 million to $ 10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. This is all that has been discussed so far.

“I’m supposed to wait for what their offer will be. I really hope the numbers are nowhere near that low. I guess we’ll see what happens.

Obviously, Jones is not saying whether that figure he released between $ 8 million and $ 10 million is the base salary or more likely the amount he would earn after pay-per-view sales clawed back. Although salary disclosures are rarely public these days, the UFC has never paid more than $ 3 million, which Conor McGregor took home for his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.

Typically, fighters receiving pay-per-view income end up with much higher pay days based on an event’s overall sales, which is how superstars like McGregor make millions of dollars for a fight regardless of the base salary.

According to Jones, he knows the kind of attention a fight with Ngannou already produces, which he says would then translate into huge pay-per-view sales for the UFC when the fight actually takes place.

“One thing I’m sure, I’ve never had more people excited to see a fight than they are now,” Jones said. “I literally can’t walk to my mailbox without someone asking me about the fight.”

Jones was embroiled in a heated battle with the UFC over his salary last year after first hinting at a move to heavyweight for a fight with Ngannou before becoming champion.

UFC President Dana White had previously mocked Jones’ demands, saying the former light heavyweight champion was asking “Deontay Wilder for money” after the boxer reportedly won around $ 30million. dollars for his rematch against Tyson Fury in early 2020.

For his part, Jones feels like he’s only asking what he really owes him, especially considering what he’s been doing for most of his career.

“I’ve been working my ass for years, from concussions, from surgeries, fighting the toughest competition the UFC has had to offer throughout my 20s for around $ 2 million a fight,” Jones revealed. . “I’m just trying to get my paycheck, the fight that all of us fighters believe will someday be possible.

“I tweeted to show me the money and that obviously pissed off the boss. What a learning lesson. I feel like if Conor had sent that same tweet, there would have been a whiskey night. I believe I was grossly underpaid throughout my twenties. I’m not even here shitting about it I just want to see the future well done. “

Jones has been a part of many big pay-per-views over the years, including a pair of fights against Daniel Cormier that are both said to have produced over 800,000 buys.

It remains to be seen whether the UFC will respond to Jones ‘demands, particularly with White already declaring that Derrick Lewis was also a potential opponent of Ngannou after their previous retaliation in 2018. Based on Jones’ numbers, Lewis appears to be more than ready to sign on the dotted line for that kind of salary.

“I’m going to do it for $ 8 million,” Lewis tweeted, with Jones responding shortly thereafter.

For his part, Ngannou said he definitely wants Jones’ next fight, but he also doesn’t want to delay the heavyweight division until these negotiations are completed as he aims for a return to action at late summer after knocking out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260.

Jones also points out the impact a fight with Ngannou could have on MMA as a whole, comparing the fight to the famous Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing fight of October 1974.