Frank Lester Details How Jon Jones Failed To Pay Him
Former Jackson-Wink MMA coach Frank Lester expanded on his claims that Jon Jones failed to pay him his full fee for his services.
Earlier this week, Lester made an Instagram post thrashing Jones as well as Mike Winklejohn for his lack of pay as well as his treatment.
According to him, Jones only paid him $7,000 — $13,000 short of their agreed fee — for his coaching services over a 12-week camp in preparation for Thiago Santos at UFC 239. He later threatened Jones, stating things would be “on sight” if he saw him in public.
“Bones” would respond instantly by denying those claims and stating Lester was fired because of drug issues. However, Lester detailed what exactly went down that led to his departure and current issue with the light heavyweight champion:
“(Jones) did everything he could to s*it on me and my family,” Lester told MMA Fighting.
He added that when he was hired full-time by Jones after helping him prepare for Anthony Smith on short notice, he was promised a full coach’s pay between 20 to 25 grand. Instead, he was told his services were not longer required during fight week and later received a check for $7,000 following Jones’ win over Santos.
“Out of nowhere, coach Wink goes, ‘Well, you can take the seven grand and shut the f*ck up or you can leave,’ Lester added. “I said, ‘Well, I’m going to walk out the f*cking door because what you’re telling me is f*ck my wife, f*ck my two kids, and f*ck me.”
Lester even provided MMA Fighting with text messages after he messaged Jones about his paycheck:
“All I said was, ‘Jon, do you really think this is fair? You know, you promised me one number, and then you give me seven grand for a 12-week camp,” Lester explained. “You gave me three grand for a f*cking two-week camp last time. So let’s just do the math on that.”
As for the drug issues, Lester has had a history of being charged with possession of drugs. He also got into a physical altercation with arena security following Jones’ win over Smith while Jones claimed Lester was high for the entirety of his last fight week.
But for Lester, that’s just deflecting from the real issues at Jackson-Wink:
“There’s no f*cking drug issue,” Lester said. “Where are the drug issues at? I’m not the one getting caught doing cocaine all the time.”
Following the Instagram post, Jones also wasn’t particularly pleased with Lester’s “on sight” threat. However, Lester clarified that it wasn’t a reference to gun violence but for an actual fight. Still, he decided to retract that part:
“You know what Jon, I retract any statement about it’s ‘on site,’” Lester added. “You go live your life, bro, and I’m going to go live mine. I know I’m going to be OK, because my soul’s in check. I know I’m doing the right thing. I spend every night at home with my pregnant wife. Can you say the same thing?”
What do you think of Lester’s claims? Do you believe him?
