Dana White leaves the door open for Jon Jones, but there is one condition

Jon Jones' potential return to the UFC octagon has once again become a hot topic. Organization president Dana White stated that his relationship with the legendary fighter is not bad, but emphasized that social media statements do not yet equate to a real fight.

It is clear from White's words that the UFC is not against Jones' return. However, for this to happen, the former champion must move from talk to actual negotiations.

«There has never been any animosity between us»

Dana White dismissed rumors of personal enmity between him and Jon Jones. While acknowledging that their relationship has been complicated at times, he called Jones the greatest fighter of all time.

«There has never been any animosity between Jon and me. Our relationship has just been a bit strange,» said White.

Disagreements regarding fight terms, purses, and opponent selection have occurred between Jones and UFC management in the past. Nevertheless, both sides indicate that their relationship has not been completely severed.

White expects a concrete step from Jones

The UFC boss emphasized that there is a big difference between talking about a return and signing a fight contract.

«It's more up to him. He likes to talk about it a lot. But agreeing to a fight and signing a contract is a completely different matter,» White said.

Based on this statement, the UFC has not yet scheduled an official fight for Jones. For negotiations to begin, the athlete himself must express full readiness to return and agree to specific terms.

Jones has not closed the door on a return either

Jon Jones recently announced that he is still registered in the UFC's anti-doping testing system. He stated that he would consider returning to the octagon if a worthy offer comes along, but for now, he is focusing on his family and helping young athletes.

Jones also noted that the UFC should offer him fights under his contract, but he has not received any concrete proposals from the organization recently.

What needs to be resolved for a return?

For Jones' next fight to take place, an agreement must be reached on several issues: opponent, weight class, purse, and fight date.

So far, neither the UFC nor Jones have made an official announcement regarding a specific opponent or date. Therefore, the former champion's return remains a real possibility, but not yet a confirmed event.

Dana White has not closed the door completely. Now the main decision rests with Jon Jones: will he continue to talk about returning, or will he sign a contract and step back into the octagon?