Jason Burgos
A top mixed martial arts insider claims that UFC legend Jon Jones had such little interest in fighting current heavyweight king Tom Aspinall that he turned down he biggest money offer of his career by far.
Jones has always had an up-and-down relationship with fight fans. There is no doubt that he is probably the greatest cage fighter of all time. But his run-ins with the law and rumors of PED use have not helped him one bit in the court of public opinion. The most recent instance of him making fans roll their eyes in frustration was not agreeing to a unification bout with Aspinall.
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Jones became the linneal heavyweight king in 2023 and defended the title just once. That being a November win over division legend Stipe Miocic. A fight most experts and fans agreed Miocic did not deserve. Especially when Aspinall was the interim champion at the time. It created a narrative in the UFC fan base that Jones feared a fight with the Englishman.
Well, a huge piece of intelligence from veteran MMA insider Ariel Helwani only added fuel to the speculation that Jones was ducking a scrap with Aspinall.
Jon Jones turned down $30 million fight offer from UFC?
“I think he didn’t want to fight him. I think it was a calculated decision on his part,” Helwani said on a new edition of “Impaulsive.” “Why did you drag this out all the way until June when you knew you weren’t going to fight him? He gave the UFC a number. I believe it’s in the $30 million range for this fight. And by the way, I think he deserves it.
“He didn’t think they would come up with the number, and they did. I believe Saudi Arabia was involved. The big dogs were involved. He said yes, and then two days later he said, ‘Nah, on second thought, I’m out.’ … I think he was hoping they would not meet the number and he could go, ‘Hey guys, I tried.'”
Helwani added that Jones attempted the same power play when the company was trying to put together a fight with former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. But the UFC was unwilling to meet his asking price. However, this time they called his bluff.
If true, it’s hard to deny that Jones simply was afraid to fight Aspinall. And take his first legitimate loss if he turned down a $30 million win or loss offer for the fight.
