Jon Jones' astronomical UFC pay for Tom Aspinall fight 'leaked' as Dana White meets his huge demands
Jon Jones' astronomical UFC pay for his proposed super-fight against Tom Aspinall has been 'leaked'.
Jones vs. Aspinall continues to drag on as Dana White looks to make the biggest UFC fight of the year.
'Bones' seemingly called time on his career before making a stunning U-turn, claiming the UFC are ready to make an announcement.
But the Brit, 32, isn't buying what Jones is selling, insisting his rival is 'retired'.
Advert
But UFC legend Chael Sonnen is not convinced Jones will walk away from a bout against Aspinall as he revealed the star fighter's UFC purse for the heavyweight showdown.
Sonnen, who fought Jones during his storied MMA career, claims the 37-year-old American is set to earn a whopping $12 million (£8.9 million) if he faces Aspinall and said it will be bigger than what Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre and Ronda Rousey earned during their legendary UFC careers.
"I don't believe Jon Jones is turning this fight down. I don't believe that," he said on his YouTube channel.
"There's a story going around that is largely believed.
"Jon's cheque at the end of the night will be the biggest cheque that he's ever got. It will be the biggest cheque anyone has ever got from the UFC. It will beat out [Brock] Lesnar, it will beat out Georges [St-Pierre]... it will crush Ronda's [Rousey]."
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sonnen also shared his thoughts on the drawn-out talks between Jones and Aspinall, saying the contest is getting 'smaller, not bigger.'
"I've never in my life seen something like this, it's going the other way. This fight isn't getting headlines anymore," he told Ariel Helwani.
"I don't think that's anything with the UFC and their ability. I think they could flip that script real quick... I have my own hypothesis, which is the audience is not convinced they're going to get it. They don't want to get excited. They don't want to hear about it anymore. They just don't believe we can get that fight to the ring.
"This fight is getting smaller, not bigger."
Jones, who won the vacant UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in 2023, returned to the Octagon when he stopped Stipe Miocic in the third round to defend his championship at UFC 309 last November.
As for interim champion Aspinall, he hasn't fought since his 60-second demolition of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester last summer.
Topics: Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, UFC
Nasir Jabbar