Manager: UFC’s ‘ridiculous’ main event snub won’t affect Jon Jones financially

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White hasn’t wavered on his stance to not allow former Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones to main event a pay-per-view (PPV) card in his first fight back from suspension after the whole UFC 200 debacle.

Even if it’s going to be a title fight rematch against current division kingpin, Daniel Cormier.

And while Team Jones isn’t too thrilled with the decision — if in fact the promotion sticks to its word when the time comes — the camp isn’t worried too much about it, because at the end of the day, “Bones” will still get paid the same and will still get a cut of PPV points.

That’s according to Jon’s manager, Malki Kawa, who stopped by The MMA Hour to talk about White’s “ridiculous” stance, since Jones never intentionally tried to sabotage UFC 200 with a failed drug test.

“It’s the funniest thing ever. Listen, to be honest with you, it’s funny and my personal opinion, I think it’s ridiculous because at the end of the day, I mean, yes he missed out on UFC 200, and I think the whole situation behind it was stupid and ridiculous,” said Kawa.

“Listen, I always look at everything people do with intent, so if somebody intends to do something, to harm someone, then that makes that person messed up. Jon didn’t intend to cancel UFC 200. Listen, we are all sitting here everyday training, cutting weight,” he added. “We find out Wednesday or Thursday before the fight and no one wanted that to happen.”

Of course, Malki was quick to remind everyone that a proposed title fight between “DC” and “Bones” was also cancelled due to Cormier getting injured prior to UFC 197.

“Remember, Cormier got hurt one time. Jon got hurt once, he had a situation with his knee and it got postponed, it happened. Then he fought, It was time for the rematch and then Cormier got hurt and it got postponed. Then after that, Jon had the whole UFC 200 thing,” explained Kawa.

“So, at the end of the day, when he (Dana White) says ‘I can’t trust him,’ look, I understand what you’re saying from your end because you’re upset, pissed off and I get it, but it is what it is. But from our end, if you think you’re going to sell better by saying Jon Jones is a co-main event or it protects you better, then you got to do what you got to do. It doesn’t affect us one way or another financially, he is still going to get pay-per-view points, his money and none of that matters.”

Jones and Cormier are rumored to run it back at the upcoming UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV) event on July 29, 2017 in Anaheim, California.