Jon Jones is now the second-highest-paid fighter on the UFC roster, according to his advisor Richard Schaefer.
‘Bones’ hasn’t fought since February 2020 when he defended his light-heavyweight title by beating Dominick Reyes at UFC 247.
The UFC Hall of Famer subsequently announced his decision to step up in weight but has been sidelined ever since due to several reasons including a lengthy financial dispute with MMA’s premier promotion.
However, any issues Jones had with the UFC appear to have been fixed.
The 35-year-old is set to face off against Ciryl Gane for the undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 18 in Las Vegas after the belt was vacated by Francis Ngannou ahead of his exit from the promotion.
Jones has signed a new eight-fight deal ahead of his return to action, one that makes him the second-highest-paid active UFC fighter behind Conor McGregor.
Schaefer said on The MMA Hour: "I think UFC realises that Jon Jones is the GOAT. He is a generational talent, so they were very much interested and very open to work with us and come to the conclusion of putting together a fair deal, which we did here.
“That deal we made for Jon makes Jon in the history of the UFC, the highest-paid heavyweight athlete. Overall, I think probably the second-highest ever next to Conor McGregor.
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“So, it was a long negotiation but it was not a hostile negotiation. It wasn’t where both sides dug their heels in. I think both sides wanted to find a way. We found a way and here it is.”
“It was a contract that made both parties happy. Maybe it made both parties a little bit unhappy as well. I think in order for this to happen, every side had to give a little bit.
“We are very pleased and I’m sure UFC is pleased. I’m sure Jon is very happy to be back and get this opportunity to fight for the heavyweight title.”
Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was thought to be McGregor’s closest competitor when it came to making money in the UFC before Jones put pen to paper on a bumper new deal.
‘The Last Stylebender’ signed one of the most lucrative contracts in UFC history ahead of his eagerly anticipated rematch with Robert Whittaker last February.
Since then, he’s lost the middleweight title to his old kickboxing rival, Alex Pereira, who sensationally rallied to stop Adesanya in the fifth round of their UFC 281 main event fight in November.
The 185lb duo are expected to rematch for UFC gold at some point in 2023.
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