The highly anticipated UFC heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall is officially off the table and respected MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has made a stunning claim about the amount of money that's been washed away with it.
Dana White, UFC's president and CEO, confirmed on Saturday that 37-year-old Jones has retired from the sport, vacating the UFC heavyweight title.
It ended hopes of a lucrative fight between 'Bones' and interim heavyweight champion Aspinall, who's been gunning for him since beating Sergei Pavlovich by knockout way back in November 2023.
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The English fighter defended the interim belt against Curtis Blaydes but has been inactive for a year while Jones has dipped and dodged a title unification fight with an ever-increasing sense of mischief.
With Aspinall having been promoted to undisputed champion without having to step into the octagon, journalist Ariel Helwani has revealed how much money Jones turned down by ducking the fight.
"Here's what we can unequivocally say. I told you months ago, the UFC wanted to make this fight," said Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show after discussing ongoing legal issues around Jones that have overshadowed his retirement.
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"They did everything in their power to make this fight. Jon Jones asked for $30 million. They didn't want to give him $30 million. They negotiated. I heard from one source that even Turki [Alalshikh] got involved.
"He wanted to make the fight. They eventually got to the $30 million. Jon said he was in. A couple of days later, he said he was out. And once he said he was out, he was never back in."
Alalshikh is a Saudi Arabian businessman, football club owner and combat sports deal-maker who is in partnership in boxing with UFC CEO White.
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According to Helwani, that change of heart took place months ago and Jones' retirement has been on ice ever since.
"They were holding out hope they could convince him and until they had to pull the trigger, they didn't feel like they had to make any kind of announcement," explained Helwani, who claimed that Jones retired because he didn't want to fight the new heavyweight champion and lose.
Instead, Jones retires as an unbeaten heavyweight champion and with a single disqualification loss on his record in 30-fight MMA career.
Topics: UFC, MMA, Ariel Helwani, Dana White, Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall
Chris Nee