UFC president Dana White claims Jon Jones lost opportunity to build a ‘Jordan-type brand’ because of outside actions

Dana White believes Jon Jones could’ve accomplished more outside the Octagon throughout his career.

When it comes to fighting inside the Octagon, there is a strong argument for ‘Bones’ being the greatest of all time. With that said, Jones has arguably been unable to reach his potential in mainstream star power because of failed drug tests and arrests.

During an interview with Aaron Bronsteter, the UFC president had this to say about Jones’ legacy:

“I don’t think he could’ve accomplished more inside the Octagon. I think he could’ve accomplished more outside of the Octagon. If you look at the run, this guy is undefeated… He’s accomplished everything that you can possibly accomplish inside the Octagon.”

White continued by saying:

“The question is, what could he have done outside? He had a Nike sponsorship at one time. What could he have achieved? How many millions of dollars could he have made outside the Octagon? 100% [he could have built a Jordan-type brand.]”

After defending his 205-pound title in February 2020, Jones stepped away from the Octagon to prepare for a move to the heavyweight division. On March 4, he silenced the doubters with a first-round submission win against former interim champion Ciryl Gane to claim the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

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Dana White is still pissed off about Jon Jones’ one loss

In December 2009, Jon Jones looked to extend his undefeated professional MMA record to 10-0 with a win against Matt Hamill. ‘Bones’ was dominating the fight before landing an illegal downward elbow, leading to a disqualification for the only loss of his career.

During the same interview from above, Dana White expressed his frustration with the referee Steve Mazzagatti by saying:

“The thing that drives me crazy is that one [loss] on his [Jones] record from an incompetent referee that shouldn’t have been in there that I couldn’t stop talking about the fact that he shouldn’t have been in there reffing fights. I hate to keep smashing this guy, but it’s a fact.”

Shortly after defeating Ciryl Gane, Jon Jones called out Stipe Miocic for his first title defense. It’s unclear when the fight will occur, but White has confirmed the matchup for later this year. ‘Bones’ has recently teased his retirement, which could mean the bout against Miocic will be his last.