UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones made a lengthy post on his social media account in response to recent statements by the organization's president, Dana White. Jones revealed details of negotiations regarding his participation in a tournament planned to be held at the White House and demanded to be released from the UFC.
Idman.Biz reports that the fighter attributed the failure to reach an agreement between the parties to financial terms.
Jones stated that although he backed down from his initial asking price to participate in the tournament, the UFC offered him an even lower fee:
"Dana, you were upset that I wasn't on the White House card, but let's clarify some things. My team and I were in real negotiations with the UFC regarding this fight. I even backed down from my initial fee, so what was offered in return? Less money."
The fighter noted that his hip arthritis problem did not prevent him from performing, and he even received special treatment to prepare for the fight:
"Yes, I have arthritis and it's painful, but that doesn't mean I can't fight. I even received stem cell treatment last week to prepare. My training was supposed to start today. I understand that sometimes agreements don't work out, but it's not right to lie to the public."
Jones said he was disappointed that the leadership thought of him as "finished" in return for the years he gave to the UFC, and emphasized that he wanted to leave the organization:
"If the UFC really thinks I'm done, I respectfully ask that you terminate my contract today. I don't want any more intrigue, no more games."
It should be noted that Dana White previously claimed that the UFC was not considering Jon Jones as an option for the White House tournament.