‘It’s officially up for grabs’

Jon Jones has made the decision to officially drop out of his UFC light heavyweight title.

UFC President Dana White said last week the company had been in touch with Jones (25-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) about his plans for the 205-pound belt after growing frustration between the two parties in recent months.

Apparently, a productive conversation took place on Monday, and afterwards Jones announced that he had come to the conclusion of canceling the title.

“Just hung up with @ufc, today I confirm I’m leaving the light heavyweight championship,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “It’s officially up for grabs. It was an amazing trip, sincere thanks to all my competitors, to the UFC and especially to you fans.

Jones recently appeared at UFC 247 in February when he won a somewhat controversial decision over Dominick Reyes. There was talk of a rematch, but Jones then sparked a conversation about a move to heavyweight to fight Francis Ngannou.

This is what led to the tension between Jones and the UFC brass. He thought he deserved more money to move up to a weight class, but White said he was not moving on the matter. Jones would later say he would retire from the fight unless progress was made.

After Stipe Miocic’s heavyweight title defense against Daniel Cormier on Saturday, Jones again expressed interest in a raise, this time to challenge the champion.

The heavyweight appears to be Jones’ plan for the future if he can get on the same page as the UFC. So far, however, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

“Last time I spoke with @UFC about my salary there was no negotiation,” Jones wrote. “If that ever changes, I would love to come back and compete as a heavyweight again. Until then, I’ll be enjoying the UFC with a fan and doing my best to take care of my family and my community.

Jones, 33, is No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports / MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings. His 14 wins in UFC title fights are the most significant in company history.