Cris Cyborg Sends Jon Jones Message Following UFC Rant

Former UFC star Cris Cyborg sent a message to current UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones following his rant to Dana White over underpayment.

Fans may recall that Cyborg’s UFC stint didn’t last long. Prior to her debut with the promotion, Cyborg was touted as UFC’s next biggest superstar who would fill the gap left by Ronda Rousey. However, after a devastating loss to Amanda Nunes, the heavy-hitting Brazilian faded away and controversies started to plague her career. It didn’t take long before UFC boss White decided to release Cyborg, and the two never regained their once fruitful business relationship.

In a recent interview with Elie Seckbach of EsNews, Cyborg was asked to comment about the recent concerns of UFC fighters regarding their pay. According to the 34-year-old, it is good that the biggest names in the UFC are now being vocal about the alleged underpayment and unfair treatment. Cyborg believes that she has paved the way for UFC stars such as Jones and Jorge Masvidal to finally stand up for what is right.

“I think I opened the doors for other fighters. The good thing is the big names are saying this. Because when people know who you are, you can step up for other fighters, we can be together for our rights,” Cyborg said.

The Bellator star even recalled a time when she read a tweet from Jones that echoed her opinions. Cyborg revealed what she wanted to tell the light heavyweight champ the moment she realized they shares the same problem regarding the UFC.

“There’s a time when I see the Twitter from Jon Jones and I said ‘look at this (guy), it looked like me talking. Now you see what I’m thinking.’ I have principles,” Cyborg pointed out.

Jones has an ongoing issue with the UFC and White. Just recently, “Bones” ranted about not getting paid the right amount during his prime. The 32-year-old also said that he has handed UFC the biggest fights during his 20s, but now, he feels like he was fooled because he realized he was paid peanuts, MMA Junkie reported.

“I’m not even asking for backpay for ripping me off throughout my entire 20s, just (want) to be treated fair moving forward. I fought mega fight after mega fight throughout my early 20s for under 2 million a fight. Who knows what I’m actually owed, makes me feel like a fool even thinking about it,” Jones said.

Reports have not confirmed whether Jones was underpaid or not. However, there have been previous data showing that the longtime UFC champ hasn’t been included even in the top 15 highest-paid MMA fighters in the world.