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Jon Jones Seeks Legal Route Out of UFC to Pursue Francis Ngannou Fight

Tyron Woodley says he gave Jones the contact for a lawyer linked to Conor McGregor’s Ali Act plan that could be used to challenge the UFC’s exclusive control.

Overview

  • Jones publicly renewed interest in an Ngannou matchup after the MVP/Netflix card, saying he would need to get out of his UFC deal to make the fight happen.
  • Woodley says he texted Jones the contact for lawyer Sam Spira and described Spira as the adviser behind the Conor McGregor 'McGregor manoeuvre' tied to the Muhammad Ali Act.
  • The Muhammad Ali Act is a federal law that limits long-term, exclusive, or coercive promoter contracts and was raised in 2016 as a possible legal path for McGregor’s boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.
  • The McGregor manoeuvre was never tested in court and experts note using the Ali Act against a UFC contract is untested and would likely be a long, contested legal fight.
  • Jones is reported to have signed a 2023 UFC deal with six fights remaining, so any move will probably produce protracted negotiations or litigation rather than an immediate free-agency fight.