For months, the MMA community has been dealing with a ‘will they/won’t they’ situation with the potential Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall showdown, like they were Ross and Rachel. Things got a lot more complicated late last year with rumors swirling that Jones was demanding a massive $30 million payday to make it happen.
But now, with Aspinall hinting that the fight is a “done deal,” former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has stepped in to shut down the $30 million claim, calling it completely false.
While UFC commentator Joe Rogan had discredited the rumors months before Sonnen, it should be noted that he was also the one who started them. So, nobody actually knew what to trust at that point.
To be fair, Sonnen hasn’t always been the bastion of truth, but this time, he does seem to have a point. And if he’s right, the roadblock that supposedly held up the fight may have never even existed.
So, what is the case then? Was the money talk just smoke and mirrors?
It is true that Jones wants a substantial payday for this bout. He said as much in the lead-up to his first title defense as the heavyweight champion against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November last year. To be precise, he had asked for an amount that would make the fight worth taking for him, regardless of the result.
But there has been radio silence from the champ ever since, resulting in the building of a perception that he was holding the division hostage for a bigger payday.
However, in a video posted on his YouTube channel Sonnen has claimed otherwise.
“There has been a phenomenon in the sport of MMA that Jon Jones is holding up that fight with ridiculous negotiation. I’m just here to let you know we have no evidence of that.”, the UFC veteran said.
According to Sonnen, Jones‘ public negotiations started right after his fight with Miocic, but the numbers being thrown around—$30 million, even $50 million—felt more like hype than reality.
“We’re just being silly at this point,” he said, downplaying the idea that Jones is pricing himself out of a fight.
He went on to add that, when the time comes and a venue is actually booked, Jones will show up—just like he always has. “We have no evidence to the contrary,” he added.
Meanwhile, between when the $30 million rumor began and now, a lot of things have changed in the promotion. The only one Jones will be concerned with is that Alex Pereira has lost his light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 this weekend.
This not only puts a dent on Pereira’s lofty 3-division champion ambition, it also leaves Jones with no choice but to unify the heavyweight title for his next fight.
Aspinall weighs in on Jones’s choices
Aspinall didn’t fight at UFC 313, but he might have been one of the night’s biggest winners. After having called Jones out for almost a year now, Apsinall finally is at a point in time where the scales have firmly tipped in his favor.
Pereira’s loss works out perfectly for Aspinall, who made his intentions known on social media yesterday.
“Jon, there’s only one thing to do, mate. Sign the contract, and let’s get a date going. We’ve seen last night Dana White was talking.“, he said.
According to Aspinall, everything on Jones’ side is done, and now it’s just about locking in a date and location. With one title defense already under his belt, Aspinall is ready to unify the belts, but the question remains—will Jones finally accept the fight?
