Jon Jones says he remains willing to work with UFC CEO Dana White despite recent friction over his place in the promotion’s plans.
Jones was originally meant to unify his UFC heavyweight title with Tom Aspinall but chose to retire instead. He later re-entered the drug-testing pool after UFC Freedom 250 at the White House motivated him, but he was not granted a spot on the event and subsequently requested his release from the UFC.
Reflecting on his relationship with White, Jones said, "I feel like in order to do big business, you can't hold grudges," and added, "You've got to be able to let bygones be bygones. You have to be able to work with people that you don't love. I've made Dana millions of dollars over the years, and he's made me millions of dollars over the years, so it's not always how you feel about a person."
Jones and White recently crossed paths at the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-ins, where they shook hands and later posed for a photo together. Jones recalled the encounter, saying he greeted White with, "Hey, your best friend is here." White responded, "Good to see you. Have a good night," according to Jones.
Jones summed up his stance going forward: "It's just, can we still work together? Can we still do business together? And I feel like we're always going to be able to make money together. Will I be invited to his house on Christmas? Probably not. But the guy changed my life, and he is a homie for life. And despite how he feels about me, I'm always going to give him that respect."
