The never-ending saga of Jon Jones and the UFC took another sharp turn this past weekend. Now, in light of Jones’ frustrations spilling over into a public request for his UFC release, perhaps the most surprising development is Tom Aspinall standing as one of the few supporters in the all-time great’s corner.
Just days after UFC CEO Dana White publicly dismissed the idea that Jones was ever in talks to compete on the upcoming UFC White House event on June 14, the longtime UFC superstar fired back on social media and didn’t pull any punches. Jones, 38, disputed White’s version of events in a lengthy statement Monday afternoon, insisting negotiations for the historic card were very real and accusing the promotion of coming in with a monetary offer far below what Jones believed he deserved.
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“If the UFC truly feels like I’m done, then I respectfully ask to be released from my contract today,” Jones concluded in his statement. “No more spins, no more games.”
Those latest comments only further added intrigue to a situation that has lingered for years, particularly surrounding Jones’ long-discussed heavyweight showdown with the now-champion Aspinall. While the matchup was repeatedly floated around as one of the biggest fights UFC could make, negotiations stalled multiple times before Jones ultimately retired in June.
Appearing on Monday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Aspinall offered a surprising reaction to Jones’ request for release — defending the former two-division champion and arguing that the UFC should indeed be paying Jones far more.
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“This is going to probably be crazy to a lot of people listening, but why is the UFC not giving Jon the respect he deserves financially? That’s crazy to me,” Aspinall told Uncrowned.
“If anyone should be getting paid a lot in this sport, it should be Jon Jones for the stuff that he’s done. That’s me saying that after the history that I’ve had with Jon Jones. If anybody should be getting money in this sport, it’s Jon Jones.”
Aspinall, who repeatedly pushed for a life-changing unification bout with Jones after capturing interim gold in 2023 only to be rebuffed at every turn, suggested the promotion had already demonstrated it was willing to pay top dollar for the fight. Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani reported that UFC’s offer to Jones for the Aspinall fight reached as high of $30 million, which Jones ultimately agreed to before suddenly backing out.
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“They offered him $30 million to fight me,” Aspinall said. “So why have they not offered it again? I don’t understand.
“These are the guys who brought in the revenue for over 10 years. They need to be getting paid what they deserve, in my opinion.”
Ciryl Gane will instead fill the shoes of Jones at the White House, fighting in the same fantasy clash with Alex Pereira that “Bones” desired. Another interim heavyweight title will be created for the matchup, leaving the winner to collide with Aspinall once the champion is fully healed from the eye injuries he sustained against Gane in October.
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As for Jones, if he gets his wish and parts ways with the UFC entirely, at least one of the two biggest “what-if” fights in recent heavyweight history disappears for good.
