Tom Aspinall Gives Props To Bitter Rival Jon Jones After Months Of Back And Forth
Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones have engaged in one of MMA’s most heated verbal battles recently. The British heavyweight has campaigned relentlessly for a unification bout against the heavyweight champion for months. Aspinall held the interim heavyweight title after knocking out Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes in devastating fashion. Meanwhile, Jones captured the undisputed championship by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 back in March 2023. Since then, Jones has focused on legacy fights rather than facing the interim champion waiting patiently. Finally, it concluded with Jones retiring and Aspinall becoming the undisputed champion.
Fans expected this rivalry to continue escalating with increasingly personal attacks from both sides involved. But Aspinall recently surprised everyone by showing respect toward his bitter rival during a podcast appearance. The champion offered a surprisingly mature take on why Jones hasn’t accepted their potential matchup yet. His comments reveal a more nuanced understanding of the business side of combat sports.
Tom Aspinall Believes Money Was The Real Issue
Tom Aspinall sat down with FFTV recently to discuss various topics from his career. The conversation naturally turned toward his ongoing saga with Jon Jones and the heavyweight title situation. Aspinall could have easily continued trash talking Jones or questioning his courage like he’s done previously. Instead, the British fighter took a completely different approach by defending Jones against accusations of fear.
“I don’t think he’s scared of anybody. I think he wanted the right financial [amount]. But he did get offered $30 million. That’s a lot of money.”
Aspinall’s assessment represents a significant shift in tone from his previous comments about the champion. For months, he’s suggested that Jones was avoiding him specifically because of the dangerous challenge he presents. Many fans and analysts have speculated that Jones feared Aspinall’s youth, speed, and knockout power.
But this latest statement shows Aspinall recognizing the reality of prize fighting at the highest levels. Money drives decisions more than pride or legacy in most cases when careers wind down. Jones has already accomplished everything possible in MMA across two weight classes. He defeated virtually every great light heavyweight during his legendary title reign. The heavyweight championship validated his claim as the greatest of all time in many people’s eyes.
At that stage, Jones had zero financial incentive to fight a dangerous opponent unless the payday justifies the risk. Aspinall acknowledged that Jones wanted proper compensation for taking on the interim champion.
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Was Money The Actual Issue?
The $30 million offer that Aspinall referenced represents serious money by any standard in combat sports. Very few fighters in UFC history have earned purses approaching that amount for a single fight. Conor McGregor commanded similar numbers during his peak drawing power years. But Jones requesting that kind of compensation shows he understands his value to the promotion.
And the UFC was willing to give it to him. But, apparently, Jones declined the offer and instead chose to retire. Whether this fight eventually happens remains uncertain. Jones had expressed interest in facing light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in a super fight instead. That matchup would generate enormous pay-per-view numbers.
Meanwhile, Aspinall is still out after getting poked in both eyes by Ciryl Gane. An interim title fight between Gane and Alex Pereira is up soon. The result of this bout will determine who Aspinall faces next.
(Image Credit: Bloody Elbow)
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