Tyron Woodley says Jon Jones asked him for the lawyer’s number behind a Conor McGregor-style legal play that could help Jones pursue a Francis Ngannou fight outside the UFC.
Jones reopened the issue at MVP MMA 1 after Ngannou stopped Philipe Lins in the first round. Jones said on the broadcast that the Ngannou fight would likely require him to get out of his UFC contract first, because he does not expect UFC CEO Dana White to do business with Ngannou.
Woodley told NewBettingSites.uk that his lawyer, Sam Spira, was involved in the legal strategy McGregor’s side explored before the 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. That fight eventually happened with UFC involved in the deal, so the theory was not tested in court. Woodley still believes Jones can explore a similar route if he wants the Ngannou fight badly enough.
“Conor McGregor boxed Floyd Mayweather,” Woodley said. “My lawyer is the lawyer that actually gave Audie [Attar] and Conor the play and the manoeuvre to do it through the Ali Act. His name is Sam Spira. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for it.”
“If Jon wanted to fight Francis Ngannou, there is a legal way where he can do it. It’s not going to be a cakewalk, but have the legal team deal with it.”
The Ali Act is a federal boxing law aimed at unfair and anti-competitive practices in professional boxing. It was not written for MMA, and efforts to expand those protections to mixed martial arts have not changed the law. That means Woodley is not saying Jones can simply walk out of his UFC deal. He is saying Jones may have a legal argument to explore if the fight is built through boxing or if his team challenges the UFC’s control another way.
Woodley Says Jones Texted Him For The Contact
Woodley said Jones reached out after the MVP MMA 1 broadcast and asked for the lawyer who knew the McGregor-Mayweather play.
“Jon texted me afterwards, because Jon knows me,” Woodley said. “He knows if I say something, I’m not going to be sugarcoating it. As I was saying it on air, my lawyer was watching it, so he sent me a text message of exactly the injunction he would have to do, how he would have to file it, and the process.”
“It’s going to be a battle, but this is the way you can do it. Jon asked me himself, he said, ‘Tyron, send me that lawyer’s number that knows that play.’ I said fine, and I forwarded him my lawyer’s info.”
Watch Woodley and Jones discuss the contract issue during MVP MMA 1 below:
Tyron Woodley giving Jon Jones ideas on how to get out of his UFC contract.pic.twitter.com/pzRQ6Rj8cS
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 17, 2026
Jones made the hurdle clear during that same broadcast.
“I’ve got to focus on trying to get out of my UFC contract,” Jones said. “That’s going to be the difficult part if this fight is going to happen. I don’t think Dana [White] is interested in doing business with Francis.”
“Doing it with MVP would probably be the only way to make it happen. If we can get out my contract, that would be great.”
The heavyweight timeline is messy, but the key facts are simple. Ngannou left the UFC as heavyweight champion after failing to reach a new deal. Jones later moved up, won UFC heavyweight gold, and eventually stepped away from active competition. The fight never happened under the UFC banner, and now any version of it would require a business breakthrough before the cage door even becomes relevant.
Woodley also made clear that Jones may not feel pressure to take on that fight. He pointed to Jones mentoring Gable Steveson, working with Dirty Boxing, and staying active through appearances, streaming opportunities, seminars, and training.
“I would say he has the information he needs, if he legally wants to pursue that,” Woodley said. “But he is doing well business-wise. He’s got a lot of things keeping him busy. He’s mentoring and training Gable Steveson, he has Dirty Boxing, he has a lot of streaming opportunities and appearances, training and seminars. So if he wants to fight, he’s got the information to do it. The ball’s in his court.”
That is where the fight sits. Woodley says Jones has the legal contact. Ngannou has fresh knockout momentum. MVP has an obvious reason to chase the biggest heavyweight fight available. The UFC still has the contract.
Woodley also discussed McGregor’s own UFC return, saying Max Holloway is a tougher comeback fight than Michael Chandler. That adds another layer to the business side, with Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2 set for UFC 329 while Jones weighs whether the Ngannou fight is worth a legal war.
