Jon Jones was chasing that “f— you money” to face Tom Aspinall after his fight with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Once things started heating up, Joe Rogan revealed on his podcast that the UFC had supposedly offered Jones a whopping $30 million to take on the Brit. But shortly after, the podcast king backtracked, saying Dana White had shut the rumors down as complete “bulls–t.” However, things got more confusing when Ariel Helwani claimed, “Jon asked for Top dollar they offered him top dollar.”
Calling out the heavyweight champ isn’t anything new—it’s been happening ever since Jon Jones last stepped inside the Octagon. Still, many assumed that a multi-million-dollar offer would eventually get the job done. After all, he made it clear that fighting Tom Aspinall wouldn’t add much to his legacy. So, if ‘Bones’ was really offered the kind of money he asked for, what’s the reason for the holdup?
Well, that’s the question we might never get a straight answer to. But time will tell. There are really only two ways this plays out: either Jon Jones comes back to face Aspinall, or he vacates the belt and walks away. And if that heavyweight showdown falls apart, don’t be surprised if Alexander Volkov steps in for a rematch with the Brit. Their first clash back in 2022 didn’t go Volkov’s way.
‘Drago’ told Red Corner MMA, “Yes, there was a talk like that. For now, as far as I know, the UFC still wants to make the Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall fight. So far, the UFC has a plan. Maybe you have some information on. Jones is not going to fight or vacate the title. But the UFC sticks to the idea that those two are going to fight. And they might consider me as a contender when Jones retires or vacates. We can talk about it straight up. So far, that’s the option they consider. But our team keeps that in mind.”
Alexander Volkov has already expressed his frustration with Jon Jones for holding up the division and denying other contenders their shot at the title. He’s even taken a few shots at the UFC for how they’ve handled the situation. But despite his recent momentum, getting a title shot won’t be easy for the Russian. He’s already faced Aspinall once and lost. So the UFC might lean toward a fresher matchup.
If the unification bout falls through, Ciryl Gane could easily be the more appealing option for the promotion. However, to keep things interesting, the heavyweight champion has shouted out Tom Aspinall after his recent MMA seminar at Bangtao Muay Thai ended. So let’s see what that’s all about.
Tom Aspinall responds to Jon Jones mocking him and the strip petition
Jon Jones recently ran an MMA seminar at Bantao Muay Thai during his Thailand trip. He spent some time interacting with the crowd, and which was also filled with questions about his next fight. Afterward, Jones jumped on X and mentioned that most of the folks who showed up were actually British. Funny enough, he gave a little nod to Tom Aspinall for that
Jones wasn’t shy about sharing how things went down at his seminar in Phuket. He posted, “Just wrapped up the biggest seminar in Phuket history. Half the crowd flew in from the UK—how wild is that?! Massive shoutout to my guy Tom for all the free promo, couldn’t have done it without you.
But the heavyweight champ didn’t stop there. He couldn’t resist taking a jab at the still-growing “Strip Jones” movement either, adding, “Let’s keep this momentum going—make sure to sign that petition today, we’re pushing 200k! How exciting.” That garnered a reaction out of his potential opponent, who’s convinced that Jones has retired. Aspinall wrote, “My pleasure Jon. Told you I’m not an a—e. Glad you’re enjoying retirement.”
The Brit had a cheeky little response of his own—throwing it back to when the reigning champ called him an “a—hole” during the UFC 309 post-fight presser. So yep, that’s one more chapter in the slow-burning beef between these two. At this point, the tension’s pretty real. But the big question still hangs in the air—will they actually end up throwing down, or is someone else going to have to step in and steal the moment?
The post Top UFC Contender Open to Help Dana White Solve Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall Fight DilemmaTop UFC Contender Open to Help Dana White Solve Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall Fight Dilemma appeared first on EssentiallySports.