Jon Jones Says McGregor Forgets That ‘The UFC Has Created Conor’

Jones threw serious shade at McGregor in a new interview.

Conor McGregor has left little doubt over the years that he thinks he’s bigger than the sport that’s made him famous. The latest indication came earlier this week when his coach, John Kavanagh, told the Sunday Business Post that McGregor would seek an equity stake in the UFC should the promotion be sold.

The implication is clear: McGregor thinks his star is so bright that he deserves not just to be an employee of the UFC, but an owner. 

Jon Jones thinks that’s bullshit. Appearing on FOX Sports Live to promote his fight with Daniel Cormier at next weekend’s UFC 200, Jones said he disagreed completely with the idea that McGregor should get a piece of the UFC pie, adding, “The UFC has created Conor McGregor. I think sometimes he forgets that.”

He’s right, to an extent. Without the UFC, Conor McGregor would be nowhere near the superstar he is today. But he’s also played a big role in his ascent. It’s not as if the UFC can create personalities like McGregor’s whenever it wants. The man has a singular ability to talk and that, along with the as kicking he’s delivered up and down the featherweight division, has contributed greatly to his status.

Still, it’s easy to imagine why Jones would be annoyed by McGregor claiming to deserve a stake in the UFC. Jones may not be as famous as McGregor, but he is headlining the biggest event in UFC history (thanks, of course, to McGregor’s flirtations with retirement). 

When you’re the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC and you’re fighting the biggest fight on its biggest night, it must be hard to hear some other dude say he deserves more than you and every other fighter. Especially, when that dude got his ass kicked his last time in the cage.