UFC star Jon Jones says he wants to relinquish belt

Jon Jones posted a series of tweets Sunday indicating he plans to relinquish the UFC light heavyweight belt in the culmination of an antagonistic week between the beleaguered star and UFC president Dana White.

“To the light heavyweight title Veni, vidi, vici,” Jones wrote over the course of a series of posts. “Bones out.”

There is no indication that any process to vacate the belt has begun.

Jones and White have gone back and forth in the media and online in the past week. It began when negotiations fell apart on a deal for Jones to move up to heavyweight for what could be a massive bout against star Francis Ngannou.

White said Jones had demanded an astronomical price tag, prompting Jones to respond that no figures were discussed. Both sides have insinuated the other is lying, and the rhetoric has been ratcheting up each day.

Sunday’s tweets appear to have been spurred by White’s comments at a postfight news conference Saturday night in Las Vegas after a UFC on ESPN 9 event.

White said Jones has impacted his own price tag through a series of legal run-ins and failed drug tests.

“Being the greatest of all time doesn’t mean you get $30 million. It’s being able to sell,” White said. “He said, ‘I don’t give a (expletive) what the numbers are. I want what I want.’ That’s not how life works.

“He can do whatever he wants. He wants to sit out, fight, he can do whatever. He can say whatever he wants publicly. It’s his God-given right in America. He can say whatever he wants. When he’s ready to come back, he can. In one of his tweets, he said I tarnished his name. I tarnished you? You’ve done a very good job of tarnishing you.”

Jones quickly responded just before midnight Saturday:

“At no point did I ever demand anything from you Dana, I simply asked for a Super fight and asked to be compensated for it. You are the one who started talking negotiations publicly and showing the world how much you’ve been withholding from your athletes this whole time.”

Jones then reiterated a desire first expressed Friday that he be outright released from his UFC contract. Jones claimed he could make as much in a potential pro boxing debut that he could in his next three UFC bouts.

He appeared to back off his release request Sunday but doesn’t seem interested in holding the belt, proposing that top contenders Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz meet for the title.

“As of right now, I got nothing to really gain fighting either of them,” Jones wrote. “Let me know if you guys want to set up a day in 2021 for that (Jones vs. middleweight champion Israel Adesanya) fight. Hopefully you guys will be willing to pay by then.”

A request for comment from White was not immediately returned.

Jones would be the second UFC champion in May to vacate a belt. Bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo retired, though there is wide speculation he is seeking a more lucrative deal to return.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.