Jon Jones is still optimistic about a UFC return at the White House despite recent comments made by Dana White, and a former opponent of Jones has weighed in on this discourse. At the UFC 319 post-fight press conference, White commented on the likelihood of ‘Bones’ fighting on that targeted White House card for next July and put the odds of that happening at a billion to one.
Chael Sonnen took to his personal YouTube channel to offer up his thoughts on Jon Jones responding to those comments from White with optimism, as ‘Bones’ playfully took to his personal X page to mention how one in a billion is exactly what it took to build his massive legacy in the first place. Breaking down Jones’ response to White’s UFC 319 comments and how he sees this situation, Sonnen said,
“Dana comes out and Dana says Jon fighting on the White House card is one in a billion. He’s letting it be known Jon’s not fighting on the White House card. You must understand on that card everyone on the roster would like on it. That card is now a reward.”
“If a guy is doing good deeds a lot of times he would get paid off. He’ll get a main event. He can find himself in a co-main spot or main event, title shots, bonuses, and upgrade. He goes to check into the hotel, gets an upgrade to a suite. You do good deeds, there are incentives and you get rewarded.”
The Jon Jones-Jim Carrey mindset
Referencing a classic Jim Carrey flick and comparing it to what he perceives to be the current scenario with Jon Jones, Chael Sonnen continued,
“There was a movie, ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ the funniest movie I’d ever seen. Jim Carrey was in the movie and he asked this girl, ‘What are my chances?’ She tells him, ‘One in a billion.’ He responds with a great big smile and says, ‘So, you’re telling me there’s a chance.’ Jon referenced that movie when told he had one in a billion chance.”
“Jon said, ‘I like my odds’—playfully—with a smile. He added, ‘I’m going to stay motivated and keep believing and keep on training.’ None of which is true. He’s not training. There’s no belief or motivation. But that’s what made the statement so effective.”
“Jon didn’t owe them an answer. He didn’t owe them anything. He didn’t owe the interview or the truth. He owed them a message, and he got his message out: ‘One in a billion.’ Much like Jim Carrey, Jon likes those odds. For a guy to say that in an airport who’s half-cocked from a first-class international flight he just landed from—it was awesome and I loved it.”
