Jon Jones' $30 million demand for Tom Aspinall fight not excessive, claims ex-champ as he lays out UFC's payout path for 'Bones'
Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is a title unification contest at heavyweight that UFC fans worldwide yearn for, and a former UFC heavyweight champ doesn't think the financial demands of the former are a meaningful hindrance in booking that bout. Josh Barnett still holds the distinction of being the UFC's youngest heavyweight champ ever when he beat Randy Couture for the strap in 2002.
Amid a chat with CBS Sports, Barnett mentioned how a part of this negotiations standstill for Jones vs. Aspinall could be tied into the promotion not being sure if they can generate the requisite revenue to pay out that heavyweight title unification fight. This is considering the reported financial demands of the reigning titleholder.
The former UFC champion also mentioned the regularity with which big-name heavyweight boxers frequently fight for anywhere from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. When getting into the feasibility of paying Jones the reported dollar amount he's seeking for an Aspinall fight purse, Barnett said (via CBS Sports):
"If they say he's asking for 30 million, I say that's not excessive. I think given access to proper incentive models, you can easily get that model with pay-per-view, a cut of merch, and maybe even a little slice out of tickets... If you allow Jones to do that, you have to allow Aspinall the same opportunities."
"Do they want to do that? Do they want to set a new precedent? Probably not."
Check out Josh Barnett's thoughts on the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall delay situation below:
Jon Jones fires off at rival in a now-deleted tweet that ignites fan discourse
Jon Jones has been a largely absent figure on the UFC circuit since defending his belt against former divisional kingpin Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last Nov. There was a period where Jones seemed more keen to engage in playful banter with fans on social media who continuously called the heavyweight champion a duck for, in their eyes, seemingly avoiding a title unification bout with Tom Aspinall.
The 37-year-old has been a bit dormant as of late in terms of his online activity, though, and this is partly why his since-deleted post from Wednesday has ignited discourse among fans. Jones made a post on X that was both biting as well as nebulous, with X account @ChampRDS sharing a screenshot.
Jones wrote:
"The guy who was known for calling out Jon Jones, and didn't end up being great at all."
Who exactly the Rochester native was talking about was something that MMA fans began speculating on as Aspinall's name came up as a possibility. However, some fans theorized Jones may have been talking about Israel Adesanya or Dominick Reyes, whom he has feuded on and off for the last few years.