The 29-day silent treatment UFC president Dana White and light heavyweight king Jon Jones (Pictured) have given each other will finally come to a close Friday prior to UFC 152‘s weigh-ins. Despite having plenty of opportunities to extend an olive branch during their month-long spat, which includes a conference call that both were present for, there has been nothing but radio silence between the two.
While the timing of their chat is quite curious – just hours prior to Jones tipping the scale and roughly 36 hours before he takes the Octagon to make his fourth straight title defense against a former champion – “Bones” will abide by his boss’ request.
“I don’t know why we’re meeting at that time because my mental state won’t be as clear being extremely dehydrated and hungry, but that’s when our meeting is scheduled,” Jones shared at Thursday’s press conference.
Oh, to be a fly on that wall…
Although neither of the two have or intend to issue apologies for their back-and-forth banter, Jones claims he has forgiven White for “belittling” him and fingering him for UFC 151′s cancellation. The 25-year-old professes the drama will make their relationship and the sport better in the long run.
“I believe that this whole situation is going to bring me and the UFC even closer,” Jones stated. “I think we’re going to have a better level of respect for each other. I think it’s going to be healthy for fighters in the future to know their rights, and a lot of positives are going to happen with this.”
Regarding those who continue to berate him for declining a last-second scrap against Chael Sonnen that could have salvaged UFC 151, Jones still stands behind his unpopular decision, but believes all will be forgotten if he posts a devastating finish over Vitor Belfort on Saturday.
Original Story:
|
September 21, 2012
