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Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has come to Jon Jones’ defense after the former light heavyweight king publicly criticized the UFC over contract negotiations.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) once again finds himself at odds with UFC leadership after CEO Dana White claimed that the promotion never planned for Jones to compete on the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House. Jones pushed back on that statement, insisting that he had been in serious negotiations but ultimately rejected the offer he received from the promotion.
White later suggested that Jones’ fighting career could be over due to severe arthritis in his hip, which prompted the former champion to request his release from the UFC.
Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who spent more than a year waiting for a title-unification bout with Jones that never materialized, surprisingly voiced his support for his former rival.
“This is probably going to sound crazy to a lot of people listening, but why isn’t the UFC paying Jon the respect he deserves financially? That’s crazy to me,” Aspinall said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “If anyone in this sport deserves to be paid big money, it’s Jon Jones for everything he’s accomplished. And that’s coming from me, considering the history I’ve had with him.
“If anyone should be making serious money in this sport, it’s Jon Jones. They offered him $30 million to fight me, so why haven’t they offered that again? We’re talking about Conor McGregor and Jon Jones – the guys who have generated revenue for more than a decade. In my opinion, they should be getting paid what they’re worth.”
Aspinall himself hasn’t exactly been on the best terms with White. His title fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 ended in a no contest after multiple eye pokes forced the bout to be stopped, ultimately requiring Aspinall to undergo double eye surgery.
The British heavyweight felt that White downplayed the seriousness of the situation, and he has since signed with promoter Eddie Hearn for representation.
