Jon Jones is the greatest fighter of all time, there’s no two ways about it. From becoming the youngest UFC Champion at age 23 to having the most title defense in the lightweight division, Jones has done it all. He has also been one of the most popular fighters of all time and even at age 37, his stocks are still high.
For a long time now, Jones’ name has been tied with Tom Aspinall as the fighting world wants to see their clash. Surprisingly, the only person that’s delaying the fight, is the man himself. At this stage of his career, Jones doesn’t want to step inside the octagon just for the sake of fight. He is demanding “f*ck you money” to face Aspinall.
There were rumors initially that he demanded a $30 million purse for the fight, which was lated refuted by Dana White. Recently, Jones’ old nemesis Daniel Cormier discussed the potential fight and whether he is deserving of the big purse he is looking for.
He said, “You think that Jon is worth paying $15 million for?… Only Conor would be worth paying $15 million.” Cormier believes that the only person who deserves a purse that big in the fight business is Conor McGregor. He said, “Conor had a $22 million gate when he pulled out of that fight with Michael Chandler on the pre-sale.”
Cormier’s statement makes a lot of sense. Even though Jones has been popular throughout his career, he doesn’t bring the PPV numbers quite like Conor. So, it’s not surprising that the deal is taking so much time to finalize. But the more important question is, will the money justify the fight for Jones?
Will the Aspinall fight do anything for Jon Jones’ legacy?
Jones is a complete fighter. His 28 win record consists of 11 knockouts, seven submissions, and 10 decisions. He has proved himself on every walkout to the cage. But now he is facing an unusual situation where a fighter is calling him out and he is ducking him.
Jones believes that the Aspinall fight isn’t going to do a lot for his legacy. He is, as Dana White says it, ‘the GOAT,’ so, fighting Aspinall who has a 15-3 record and is six years younger won’t add anything significant to his legacy.
The only person who will benefit from this fight is Aspinall. If he manages to defeat Jones, he will be the one who took down the greatest fighter of all time. Even if he loses, he’d lose to the GOAT and his career wouldn’t suffer a major blow.
In this regard, it makes sense why Jones is looking for a major purse. This might be his way of justifying the fight that everyone else wants to see. As of now, there’s no final word on when the fight will happen or if it will happen.
Prateek is a seasoned content writer with over 2500 published articles and two+ years of experience. His passion for UFC was ignited during Conor McGregor’s meteoric rise, and closely following McGregor’s journey inspired him to bring a sharp, fan-driven perspective to his UFC coverage, blending detailed analysis with compelling storytelling.
