Tom Aspinall was caught off guard by his post-UFC 309 meeting with promotion president Dana White in New York.
Recently a guest on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) revealed he spoke with White following the conclusion of the Nov. 16 post-fight news conference. His expectation was to have some light negotiation about a potential Jon Jones unification bout, but instead, he was immediately greeted with a confident statement from White.
“Actually, right after that press conference, I had a meeting with Dana,” Aspinall said. “So, in all honesty, I was expecting to come and maybe we negotiate a little bit. He literally walks into the room and said, ‘It’s happening.’ I said, ‘Well, he’s going to want loads of money.’ He said, ‘I know, but it’s happening.’ And he said, ‘It’s going to be the biggest fight in UFC history.'”
So, has Jones (28-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) agreed to fight Aspinall already? Jones has remained largely mum on the topic since his TKO win over Stipe Miocic. Aspinall isn’t sure, but thinks the UFC will break out the big bucks to make it happen.
“I don’t know,” Aspinall said. “In all honesty, Jon Jones is like… nobody knows what he’s doing, even the UFC. I don’t know. … I would imagine so. I would imagine so. I can’t speak for Dana.”
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Aspinall doesn’t expect to make the same money Jones will should the fight happen. But according to him, he’s prioritizing a different kind of prize.
“No, no,” Aspinall said. “I don’t really care about money at this point. Obviously, I’ve got a family. I want to make as much money as I can. But to me, what’s more important is unifying belts.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Tom Aspinall reveals what Dana White told him backstage immediately after UFC 309
