New information has surfaced in the UFC antitrust lawsuit, shedding light on 2014 text exchanges between then-UFC President Dana White and Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta.
The revealed conversations, concerning contract talks with Jon Jones, indicate that "Bones" expressed a preference to fight Daniel Cormier instead of Alexander Gustafsson, which didn't sit well with the UFC leadership.
"What's up with Jones? Did he straighten up or is he still being a scumbag?" White texted Fertitta.
"Still a douche, but we're inching closer," Fertitta replied. "Haven't moved on money, but sent the letter with an ultimatum."
"Awesome," White replied. "F*** that punk, Lorenzo. He needs to know we don't need him, or he will f*** us over more than he already does."
White might be alluding to Jones' past refusal to accept a short-notice bout against Chael Sonnen at UFC 151, a move that resulted in the entire event being called off.
"I think he takes this thing, or is acting like he's taking it, lightly, which he shouldn't be." White reacted to Jones canceling UFC 151. "The fact that the fight was canceled isn't a joke. It's not funny. A lot of people were affected by it. There was a lot of collateral damage that happened with the canceling of the show. We'll see how this goes. I think he needs to take this a little more serious than he is. I don't know if he's embarrassed or whatever his deal is..." (h/t MMA Mania)
Jones faced a DUI charge in 2012, causing negative publicity for both him and the UFC champions. In another revealed conversation, White attempted to explain his remarks to plaintiff's lawyer Michael Dell'Angelo.
"So you wanted Mr. Fertitta to let Mr. Jones know that the UFC didn't need him?" Dell'Angelo asked White.
"Yeah," White agreed.
"And be a scumbag in negotiations?" Dell'Angelo asked.
"No," White rebutted. "Do you know Jon Jones' history? Just to be a scumbag in life. .... You could get pretty much every guy who works for me to testify that, yes, I was not happy with Jon Jones' life choices."
The UFC antitrust lawsuit goes on, revealing more documents. If the plaintiffs win, they might receive a portion of the money in question, estimated to be between $800 million and $1.6 billion.