The heavyweight division is at a standstill, and there’s only one fight that can break the deadlock — Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall. But Jones isn’t budging. His price? A staggering $30 million to step into the octagon, end his legendary career and secure what he calls “f–k you money. Otherwise, my life is perfect without him [Tom Aspinall],” Jones declared, shrugging off the calls for a showdown. And who can blame him? With Alex Pereira’s departure, Jones stands as the UFC’s biggest star, arguably deserving a payday reminiscent of boxing’s elite. But just when it seemed like the stakes couldn’t get any higher, whispers suggest the demands have skyrocketed even further. How far? Let’s have a look at it.
“The UFC made $1.4 billion, and this man is asking for $30 million… Pay the man $30 million and call it good,” said Demetrious Johnson when he learned that Jon Jones is willing to fight Tom Aspinall for $30 million but will his words remain the same when the amount extends to $50 million? Yes, you heard that right, Jones is arguably demanding a hefty 50 mil to fight against Tom Aspinall.
Now this is a sum that only the top fighters in the boxing world earn on their best days. If the UFC were to agree to such an amount, it could set a troubling precedent for other fighters to demand similar payouts, creating a paradox for Dana White. Why? Get this, if Jon Jones’s demands are agreed upon by the UFC CEO, then what’s stopping fighters like Islam Makhachev, Dricus Du Plessis from demanding such prize money? Responding to such bombastic reveals, former UFC fighter Derek Brunson called out the heavyweight division and stated, “Aight so Aspinall vs Gane for the title.”
Aight so Aspinall vs Gane for the title https://t.co/DhUwUgRLPr
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) March 24, 2025
The interim heavyweight champion has held the belt for over 500 days now, with no fight lined up. Aspinall’s entire career seems to rest in the hands of Jon Jones, who has shown no interest in fighting him. Many believe this dilemma is a result of poor decision-making by the UFC, arguing that the interim belt should never have been introduced in the first place.
Since the day, Aspinall got the belt he has been calling him out for a clash but it should be noted that the Britisher is not willing to fight ‘Bones’ if the belts are not on the line, “I am NOT chasing Jon Jones. If Jon Jones doesn’t have the belt, I’m not interested in fighting him. What I want is to be known as the number one heavyweight on the planet, and the belt solidifies that for me.” Dana White has time and time again asserted that the fight will happen regardless of what anyone thinks but when? That is the question. Amidst the chaos, Daniel Cormier has come forward with a piece of advice for Aspinall.
Daniel Cormier alerts Tom Aspinall on Jon Jones’ ‘mean’ side
There are two sides to Jon Jones. Outside the octagon, he avoids unnecessary altercations. But inside it, he becomes a force of destruction. Many fighters have experienced this when they clashed against Jones and Daniel Cormier is the man who knows all sides of ‘Bones.’ In his most recent advice to the Britisher, the former heavyweight and light-heavyweight champion asserted to not become too confident with his victory against Jones. Why? Well, that’s due to the fact that ‘Bones’ fakes being nice when he is outside of the Octagon.
While having a conversation with Chael Sonnen on ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’, Cormier emphasized that “He’s (Jon Jones) very mean. He’s durable, he’s hard to fight. And Tom Aspinall is going to find that out right. So yes, Chael (Sonnen), I love the duck [Aspinall brought to UFC London]. I love all the fun, I love all that but at the end of the day when you get in there with that dude don’t start rethinking things.”
He further added, “Because you start rethinking things in there with that dude,” Cormier warned. “He’s going to run right through you. You cannot start going ‘Hey man it’s a little harder than I thought’. Because he is going to put it on you.” Jon Jones always seems aggressive inside the octagon and it must be noted that fighters don’t remain the same after throwing hands against him. But while Daniel Cormier knows that Aspinall might be poking at a beehive, the English MMA artist might just be throwing caution to the wind.
The post “Aspinall vs Gane for the Title”- Jon Jones’ Alleged $50M Demand Has Ex-UFC Star Make Bold Claim appeared first on EssentiallySports.