Menu
Leagues and Governing Bodies

Jon Jones Talks Rift With Dana White Over Treatment, Considers Ari Emanuel "Boss"

UFC fighter Jon Jones said that the "year-long silence between him and UFC President Dana White is the fighter’s own doing," as he "didn’t appreciate the treatment he received" after being banned for one year due to a positive drug test, according to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. TIMES. Jones: "White has reached out to me on at least four occasions, and I haven’t answered any of his calls or any of his text messages." He added, "When you’re making the company money and you’re a pay-per-view draw and you’re ultimately putting money in his pocket, then you mean a lot to him. The moment you aren’t those things, you mean nothing to him, and he’s done a decent job of showing that. I felt completely abandoned by him ... in a situation when I needed him the most." White said of Jones’ comments, "Sounds like something he and I will eventually have to straighten out.” Jones said that he was "contractually obligated to stage" a rematch with Daniel Cormier for Saturday's UFC 214, his return to the octagon, and that was "worked out without him speaking to White." Jones: "Unless he has something real pressing to talk to me about, I’d rather just talk to [WME-IMG co-CEO] Ari Emanuel. As of now, I look at Ari as my boss and as Dana as more the face and the voice of UFC" (L.A. TIMES, 7/27). 

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: April 25, 2024

Motor City's big weekend; Kevin Warren's big bet; Bill Belichick's big makeover and the WNBA's big week continues

TNT’s Stan Van Gundy, ESPN’s Tim Reed, NBA Playoffs and NFL Draft

On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two Big Get interviews. The first is with TNT’s Stan Van Gundy as he breaks down the NBA Playoffs from the booth. Later in the show, we hear from ESPN’s VP of Programming and Acquisitions Tim Reed as the NFL Draft gets set to kick off on Thursday night in Motown. SBJ’s Tom Friend also joins the show to share his insights into NBA viewership trends.

SBJ I Factor: Molly Mazzolini

SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/07/27/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/UFC.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/07/27/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/UFC.aspx

CLOSE