Jon Jones addressed his strained relationship with the UFC and his unclear retirement status while attending UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
Tension between Jones and the promotion escalated in March after he was left off an upcoming UFC White House card. UFC president Dana White has claimed Jones was never realistically being discussed to headline that event, while Jones has suggested the UFC should release him if they are not serious about negotiating.
Jones pointed to a disagreement over compensation as a key flashpoint, saying, "You know, I feel like I wanted to be compensated in a way that I wasn’t, and we just had a disagreement and that happens in life," and noting that the Alex Pereira fight went to Ciryl Gane instead. Despite that, Jones praised the Brazilian star: "But you know what, I’m a big fan of Alex Pereira. I love the way he carries himself, he’s just such a classy fighter, potential opponent, person, big fan of him."
On his competitive future, Jones admitted his status is unresolved. "I’m not sure if I’m retired or not," he said. "I’m just taking it day by day just trying to kind of figure out my body and how I feel, things like that. I’ll tell you what, being here at the UFC right now definitely has given me this fire that I haven’t felt in a little bit, so it feels very good to be here." He added, "No, I don’t feel like I have anything to prove," and, "I feel really good."
