Jon Jones Asking 'Absurd' Money for Francis Ngannou UFC Fight, Dana White Says

UFC President Dana White explained to ESPN's Brett Okamoto why a bout between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou will not happen in the immediate future. 

"For the amount of money [Jon Jones is] asking for, it's not gonna happen," White said Thursday. "You couldn't be asking for a more absurd amount of money at a worse time."

Last Thursday, Jones tweeted the UFC was not willing to pay him additional money to move up to heavyweight and take on Ngannou in the potential superfight:

Ngannou tweeted on the same day, echoing those sentiments:

Okamoto noted the 26-1 Jones is "widely considered the greatest fighter of all time" and has a single loss that "came under highly controversial circumstances, when he was disqualified for throwing an illegal elbow in a fight he was dominating in 2009."

Still, moving up to heavyweight and taking on a knockout artist like Ngannou (15-3) would be a new test for the UFC light heavyweight champion.

While Jones defeated Dominick Reyes in February, Ngannou can land a knockout at a moment's notice. Eleven of his career victories have come by knockout, while four have come via submission. Still, it doesn't seem like this fight will happen anytime soon.