NEW ERA: JON JONES EYES MVP JUMP AS UFC RELATIONSHIP HITS BREAKING POINT
Jon Jones hits back at the UFC, demanding his contract be terminated to pursue new opportunities at Most Valuable Promotions.
Jake Paul says he’s ready to promote Jon Jones if Dana White lets him walk away from the UFC.
Jones wanted a spot on the big UFC White House card in June. He hinted that the promotion even reached out about an appearance. Most people thought they’d finally line him up against Alex Pereira, who just moved up to heavyweight, but Pereira’s fighting Cyril Gane instead.
Then Dana White went public, basically saying Jones is done with the UFC and retired from MMA. That didn’t sit well with Jones. He fired back, demanding a release so he could look at other opportunities.
If he gets out of that ironclad contract, Jake Paul’s new MMA project with Most Valuable Promotions is a real option. Paul’s already signed Jones’ long-time rival, Francis Ngannou, who’s set to fight Philipe Lins on their debut card in May. Now, Paul says he’d happily work with Jones too.
At a press conference, Paul put it out there: “Jon, you’re always welcome to come over to MVP. We’ll get it popping, and we’ll get you paid what you deserve.”
Honestly, Paul trying to lure Jones over feels possible, especially since Jones has wanted to fight Ngannou for years. The fight has been teased both inside and outside the UFC, but it has never materialised.
Paul’s clearly gunning to shake up the UFC’s grip on MMA, so who knows, an offer to Jones could be coming soon.
But can Jones actually fight again? Lately, he’s talked about hip problems that have made people doubt his future. He hasn’t fought since defending his title in November 2024 against Stipe Miocic. Still, he says the injury won’t stop him.
On social media, Jones said, “Yeah, I’ve got arthritis in my hip, and it hurts, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight. So let me get this straight: if I took the lowball offer, my hip would magically be fine, and I’d be on the White House card? That makes no sense. I even got stem cell treatment last week to be ready, and training camp was supposed to start today. I was getting prepared. If the UFC really thinks I’m finished, I’m asking to be released from my contract right now. No more spin, no more games. Thanks to the real fans who get it.”
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
