Jon Jones has been warned he is not in the same league as Conor McGregor when it comes to his fight purses.
Jones is clamouring for a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou but is struggling to agree terms with the promotion.
Jones, the former light-heavyweight champion, has denied president Dana White's claim that he is demanding $30million to face Ngannou.
And his bitter rival Daniel Cormier, believes Jones should be setting his sights lower.
“I think he does deserve a large number,” Cormier told ESPN. “I don’t believe… if Conor McGregor — and I don’t know what Conor makes - but I heard Conor makes, like, $15m to show up and then he gets all the pay-per-view.
“If Conor makes $15m to show up, Jones shouldn’t make what Conor McGregor makes. If Conor McGregor makes something in that range, Jones shouldn’t make what Conor McGregor makes. It should be a tier beneath that.
“Does Jon Jones make what Khabib [Nurmagomedov] makes? If Khabib makes $8m to $10m, yes. But I don’t believe he should make what Conor McGregor makes.
“I believe with 100 per cent certainty, (the UFC) would give (Jones) $10m to show up and fight Francis Ngannou. I believe that.
“And that’s him getting his money because he’s never made $10m before to show. He said he makes $5m, right? So if he makes $5m, then you’re doubling what he makes to go and fight Francis.”
Ngannou is more likely to face Derrick Lewis in a rematch of their 2018 bore-fest which Lewis won by unanimous decision.
“It’s going to be a fun fight,” Lewis told ESPN. “We both learned a lot from that and we both improved since that fight, so it’s gonna have to be a fun fight.
"Too many rounds are going to be involved in this fight. It’s going to be five rounds, so it’s not going to be five rounds of snooze fest. It’s going to be five rounds of swinging and banging, so it’s going to be interesting to see. I’m excited for it.
“I will say the first exchange, I’ll knock him out in the first exchange. I almost knocked out Curtis (Blaydes) in the first exchange, too, but he got on that bike and he took off running.
"I feel that in my heart, especially if he comes out the way he’s been coming out to all his other guys, especially the way he came out against (Jairzinho) Rozenstruik. If he tries to come out and fight me the same way, then I’ll knock him out for sure.”
