A rival promoter sent a public offer to UFC superstar Jon Jones on Monday just a few hours after Jones asked to be cut by UFC president Dana White. Jones deleted those tweets almost as soon as he published them, but that apparently didn’t stop the sound of the bell from reverberating all over the landscape of combat sports.
Triller co-owner and CEO Ryan Kavanaugh offered Jones a fight through his company.
Kavanaugh posted, “@JonnyBones why not come do an MMA fight with Triller this summer, happy to work something out with UFC if we can help. Maybe fight on same card as @OscarDeLaHoya?”
You can see Kavanaugh’s stunning offer to Jones below.
@JonnyBones why not come do an MMA fight with Triller this summer, happy to work something out with UFC if we can help. Maybe fight on same card as @OscarDeLaHoya ? #triller
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Jones vs. Heavyweight Champ?
Jones, 33, was thought to be moving up in weight to challenge the winner of UFC 260, but things quickly seem to have fallen apart since that event took place on March 27.
In short, Jones wants to be paid more for facing newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou than the UFC seems willing to pay him, and Jones hasn’t been too happy about that.
While Jones deleted those tweets from Monday about wanting the UFC to cut him, several other posts directed toward White, UFC officials, other fighters, and even some fans have remained posted.
You can see some of those tweets below. Jones calls White’s comments about needing to move down to 185 pounds a “slap in the face”, said that he has hit a “brick wall” with the company, and argued against the narrative he is “scared” to face Ngannou.
I always hear about how much the company is growing yet one year later I find myself in the same spot. I put in the work, I’ve done my part. I have completely transformed myself and now I meet a brick wall.. how discouraging
I’ve been talking about getting paid more for over a year now, has nothing to do with France is winning the belt. I fear no man, i’ve been beating up on heavy weight since I was a skinny kid. Gain all this size and strength just to suddenly be afraid? Sure let’s switch narrative
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Triller’s Offer for July 3
According to the post by Kavanaugh, Triller’s offer to Jones is for the superstar to appear in an MMA fight against an unnamed opponent on July 3. That’s the same card that will mark the return of former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya.
The 48-year-old boxing superstar hasn’t fought since 2008 and doesn’t have an opponent lined up just yet, but some reports have suggested Triller has been hoping to pit De La Hoya against a popular MMA fighter.
Before you get your hopes up, though, De La Hoya and Jones would likely never be pitted against each other in any kind of fight due to the size disparity.
After all, Jones is the UFC’s longtime 205-pound champion who has been looking closer to 250 pounds in recent pictures and videos on Instagram as he prepares to move up to the heavyweight ranks.
Meanwhile, the most De La Hoya has ever weighed for a prizefight was 160 pounds.
Regardless, Jones on Triller would be a massive boon for the new promoter that burst onto the scene for the first time in November 2020 with its Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. megafight boxing pay-per-view event.
Triller’s next card is set to feature YouTuber Jake Paul taking on retired UFC star Ben Askren on April 17.
Now, it seems the company hopes to lure Jones into the fold later this year, too.
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New Promoter Makes Offer to Jon Jones: ‘Why Not?’