Jon Jones downplays ‘disagreement’ with UFC over lost Alex Pereira fight at White House
Jon Jones has made peace with the UFC
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 10: Jon Jones, co-owner of the Dirty Boxing Championship, attends to the DBX6: Michael Garcia v Rob Perez at James L. Knight Center on April 10, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) | Getty Images Jon Jones and the UFC might not be on the same page right now, but it doesn’t mean the former two-division champion has soured on the relationship altogether.
Tension between the two parties reached a fever pitch this past March, when Jones expressed his frustration over not only being left off of the upcoming UFC White House card but with UFC CEO Dana White claiming Jones was never realistically being discussed to headline the event. Jones suggested the UFC release him if they weren’t serious about negotiating, with the issue seemingly unresolved until Saturday when Jones spoke to UFC Brasil . Jones was in attendance at UFC 327 at Kaseya Center in Miami and was asked about what went wrong with the Alex Pereira dream fight, which instead went to Ciryl Gane.
“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,” Jones said. “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.
” Jones previously said the UFC “lowballed” him when discussing a potential Pereira fight rather than agree to a number more appropriate for an athlete on their roster that held titles at heavyweight and light heavyweight. He did not specify what the number was. Since that public spat, the 38-year-old has made conflicting statements about retiring for good and insisting he is still physically fit enough to compete.