And now the truth is finally out there. The UFC prematurely announced the Jones/Gus rematch in Bones’ eyes as a negotiation tactic. It made him look bad when he was trying to get a new deal but Jones didn’t budge.
In a way, this may be the fork in the road, or the turning point where Bones officially becomes a fan favorite. Think about it, the most dominant champ in the organization (outside of Ronda) standing up to shady tactics… It’s interesting.
Jones said this on The MMA Hour:
“Originally, I just kind of identified it as being like a strong arm technique on their part, get fans pushing for a fight prematurely. I hadn’t even heard that date before… I thought it was unprofessional, a bully tactic.”
“It looks like that’s what they were doing for sure,” said Jones. “It was annoying but I just needed to weather that storm and let everyone call me a chicken for a few weeks until I got to get in there and negotiate the contract.”
“I knew that them announcing the fight early was to get fans harassing me, pretty much. I just had to nevermind the masses and do what was best for me and my family.”