Dana White Praises Jon Jones After NSAC Allowed The Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion To Fight At UFC 235
Dana White hasn’t been a big fan of Jon Jones earlier. In November 2016, UFC president said he’d never risk putting Jones to headline any event due to his drug test issues. (h/t bloodyelbow.com)
“In my opinion, I would never take the risk of headlining a show with Jon Jones again,” White told Jim Rome in a late 2016 interview, stemming from Jones’ UFC 200 drug test failure in July of that year. “I’d put him on the card, but I wouldn’t headline with him until he consistently gets back on track. Millions of dollars are spent on this.
“And for a card to fall apart — how many cards have fallen apart because Jon Jones gets in trouble for something? So, no, I’m not at that place with him.”
But wait! Dana White changed his story, and even went one step further! Jones faced Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of UFC 232 last month. But NSAC didn’t grant Jon Jones a license to fight, so the promotion moved the entire fight card from low tax state Nevada to higher tax state California on short notice to keep the headlining bout intact! This move made many fighters angry.
Two days ago, NSAC issued Jones a temporary fighting license, which allows him to defend title versus Anthony Smith at UFC 235. After the hearing, Dana White went on ESPN’s “Sports Center”, where he expressed his positive attitude towards Jon Jones!
“What they want to do is they’re gonna give him a temporary license and they’re gonna keep drug testing him until his next fight,” White said during his guesting on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday.
“I’m rooting for the guy. I hope he does it. He’s one of the best ever, maybe the greatest ever, and he’s fun to watch fight. So hopefully, he can keep his personal life together and pass these tests and continue to cement his legacy in the sport.”
Jon Jones Vs Anthony Smith headlines UFC 235, which takes place on March 2, 2019. What are your thoughts on Dana White’s statements? Will UFC boss ever stop changing stories?
