UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones made it perfectly clear in the aftermath of his UFC 309 main event win that if the promotion wants him back inside the Octagon for a huge fight, they’ll have to get the chequebook out. “Bones” has already mentioned getting “F*** you” money for a return and that is likely to be even more so the case if he’s going to be tempted into fighting Tom Aspinall.
Even with a fight as big as Jones vs the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, being one of two options, most fight fans are leaning towards the other. The only issue being that the heavyweight unification fight is something that the consensus greatest of all time doesn’t seem overly interested in.
Though he’s said that he doesn’t think a fight with Aspinall adds to his legacy, many have criticized Jones for avoiding the fight because it’s the biggest threat to his stellar record. UFC commentator Jon Anik believes that even if he was to lose to the interim champion, it wouldn’t tarnish all of the incredible performances he has put on inside the Octagon.
However, with the threat that Aspinall brings to the table, Anik agrees with Jones that he would deserve a career-high payday for this fight not just because of how big it is but because of the risk in taking it. He told MMA Junkie that the assurance of receiving a huge purse to end his career on could be the turning point that makes this fight happen.
“I think what he wants is like that $30, $40, $50 million payday which he so deserves at this point in time because in heavyweight MMA, anything can happen and certainly in light heavyweight, anything can happen but the consequences are so great when it comes to four ounce gloves with these guys chucking that I mean yeah, Tom Aspinall could knock Jon Jones out in a minute and I don’t think it’s legacy diminishing whatsoever but you better make $30 million because then at that point in time, maybe Jon Jones doesn’t want to have another training camp and rematch Tom Aspinall or have two or three more fights.”
