‘I Don’t Believe He Should Make What Conor McGregor Makes’- Daniel Cormier on Jon Jones

A UFC veteran and one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, Jon Jones, has only one major condition for facing Francis Ngannou, a hefty paycheck.

Jones is expected to face Ngannou sometime later this year. The fight, if it happens, would clearly be the biggest scrap of the year.

Many fighters and fans have expressed their opinion on the same. A certain Daniel Cormier had something to say about Jones’ demand as well.

While speaking on the ‘DC and Helwani’ podcast, the fighter turned commentator spoke about Jones’ pay issue and offered his view on why he shouldn’t expect a paycheck like that of Conor McGregor.

“Does Jon Jones make what Khabib makes? If Khabib makes $8 million to $10 million, yes. But I don’t believe he should make what Conor McGregor makes.

“I do believe that Conor McGregor, there should be a difference in the pay scale because of what he has meant to the company,” he said.

He further declared that anything between $8 million to $10 million was justifiable. Cormier said, “But in the $8 million to $10 million range? I think that works. I believe with 100% certainty, (the UFC) would give (Jones) $10 million to show up and fight Francis Ngannou.”

Cormier further said, “I believe that. And that’s him getting his money. Because he’s never made $10 million before to show. He said he makes $5 million, right?

“So if he makes $5 million, then you’re doubling what he makes to go and fight Francis,” he concluded.

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Jon Jones termed $8 million to $10 million too low

Although ‘DC’ thinks it is sufficient, Jones is certainly not on the same page. Jones previously took to Twitter to term a sum between $8 million to $10 million to be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. He said, “I had a brief phone meeting with UFC’s lawyer Hunter a few days ago.

“As of right now I expressed to him that anywhere around eight to $10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. That’s all that has been discussed so far.”

Uncertainty over the fight

‘Bones’ had made a compromise with his Light Heavyweight title to pursue his dream of becoming a Heavyweight champion. He worked very hard for it, but he also wants a big paycheck for his first clash.

With UFC now clearly favoring a bout between ‘The Predator’ and Derrick Lewis, things seem to be going in the opposite direction for Jones. It’s not just the fight, it’s about preserving the legacy of one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.

As a fan, one could only hope for all the issues to get sorted out quickly. But for that to happen, UFC and Bones need to find some middle ground.

What did you make of Cormier’s opinion on Jones’ future?