Tom Aspinall – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Dana White admits UFC could ‘move on’ from Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

Whereas he guaranteed Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall would happen two months, Dana White might not be as confident now.

Less than two months ago, UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] made a rare on-the-record guarantee that [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] for the unified heavyweight championship would take place in 2025.

Nothing has been announced since then, and White indicated Friday that the fight is still far from finalized when speaking to Oscar Willis of The Mac Life.

White first showed enormous interest in booking Jones vs. Aspinall after “Bones” logged his first title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November. Jones dismissed facing the interim champion unless he got paid “f*ck you money” by the UFC while also teasing retirement, but White remained confident it would happen.

White stated on the night of UFC 309 that he would not put the division on hold forever, though, and eventually a time would come where he would explore other options. He didn’t set that timeline then, but when asked if the summer could be it, White reinforced that as realistic.

“One hundred percent,” White said. “If we don’t get the fight done, we move on, and we make another fight. But not last night, but the night before, I was up in my room with my people until like 6 in the morning. We’re working on lots of stuff right now. There’s lots of really good sh*t going on right now.”

Whether White and the UFC’s work results in Jones vs. Aspinall materializing remains to be seen. White has stated it has the potential to be the most significant fight in company history, but it appears an unprecedented price tag will have to be dished out to Jones.

Negotiations are seemingly ongoing about what that payout will look like.

“There’s no situation. It’s the biggest fight we can make,” White said. “I know the fans like to mess with Jon or whatever. Jon Jones isn’t afraid of anybody, and Jon Jones will fight anybody. It’s just a matter of getting the fight done now. That’s our job.”

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Tom Aspinall finds it funny how Dana White ‘jumped ship’ from Jon Jones in pound-for-pound debate

Tom Aspinall is surprised to see Dana White now call Islam Makhachev pound-for-pound No. 1 after UFC 311.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is surprised to see [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] now call [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] pound-for-pound No. 1 after UFC 311.

Lightweight champion Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) accepted a 24 hour opponent change, switching from Arman Tsarukyan to Renato Moicano in Saturday’s main event at Intuit Dome. He submitted Moicano in Round 1.

Makhachev is already the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, a decision UFC CEO Dana White lambasted. White has reiterated that UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones should be No. 1, but when asked if Makhachev’s willingness to fight anyone at anytime has changed his mind, he finally caved.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who’s gearing up for a potential title-unification bout against Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) this year, finds White’s comments amusing.

“Now we’re seeing Dana White coming out and saying that he’s the pound-for-pound No. 1 in the world, Islam Makhachev,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “As we all know, to me, pound-for-pound is a lot of made-up stuff. I don’t look into that. But it’s just funny that he’s kind of jumped ship now from Jon Jones to Islam.

“Islam did what he was supposed to do: went out there, fought whoever was put in front of him, which is what a champion is supposed to do. Fought a guy that the UFC told him to fight, got the win, and he’s levels above anybody else in that division. He’s going to hold the belt for a long, long time, and that is something that I’m very excited for because I’m a massive Islam Makhachev fan.”

Aspinall has ridiculed the pound-for-pound debate on numerous occasions, going off on the idea in a previous interview with MMA Junkie.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Henry Cejudo says UFC champ Jon Jones ‘too smart’ for Tom Aspinall: ‘It will be easy money’

Henry Cejudo is backing UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a potential fight against Tom Aspinall.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is backing UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] in a potential fight against [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

UFC CEO Dana White guaranteed that Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) will fight interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a title-unification bout in 2025. Jones notched his first title defense with a third-round TKO of Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, whereas Aspinall defended his interim title with a first-round TKO of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.

If the pair do end up fighting, Cejudo thinks Jones’ fight IQ will be too much for Aspinall.

“Heavyweight, I’m going Jon Jones, bro,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “I watched a little bit of Tom Aspinall yesterday. He’s got lateral movements – really, really good. But Jones is just too smart, bro.

“Jones just needs to press him, stay in the middle, don’t react, find his wrestling. I think it will be easy money. I think he’s still going to get paid that $30 million.”

UFC commentator and popular podcaster Joe Rogan said he heard that Jones is asking for $30 million to face Aspinall, but later walked back his comments after Dana White reached out to him to debunk the rumor.

Jones, however, is asking to be paid handsomely to face Aspinall, previously reiterating that he doesn’t think Aspinall is a fight that adds to his legacy.

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Daniel Cormier doubts UFC pays Jon Jones $30 million to fight Tom Aspinall

Daniel Cormier thinks UFC champ Jon Jones making $30 million to fight Tom Aspinall would be a stretch.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] making $30 million to fight [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] would be a stretch.

UFC commentator and popular podcaster Joe Rogan said he heard that Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is asking for $30 million to take on interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a title-unification bout that Dana White guarantees happens in 2025.

Cormier, a former UFC dual-champion and two-time opponent of Jones, headlined plenty of big pay-per-view events during his career. He shared insight on his paydays as champion and what UFC’s negotiations with Jones could look like.

“I’ll tell you guys, as a person who has been involved in big fights, a person who has sold pay-per-views, a person who at his time was at the top of the pay scale in the UFC as the heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, $30 million was literally a world away from anything we were making,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.

“I remember when I got paid in New York, I got a big bump to take a fight on three weeks’ notice, which ultimately became my salary, and people were astounded with the number. But I will tell you it was a fraction of what that number that he’s asking for is. It was nowhere near that. But I’ve heard now rumors that the higher-end guys are making more. The Israel Adesanya, the Jon Jones, the Stipe Miocic. I heard that Stipe Miocic made big money for the last fight.”

Looking at Jones’ past pay-per-view and gate numbers, Cormier thinks $30 million isn’t necessarily an outlandish ask – although he doesn’t see him getting paid exactly that number.

“Rogan thinks that the UFC will pay the $30 million to get Jon Jones in there with Tom Aspinall,” Cormier said. “I’m not sure he gets to $30 (million), but if you ask for 30 and you end up with 20 or you get 15, that’s a win for Jon Jones on his way out.”

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Ex-UFC champ Cain Velasquez explains why he doesn’t see Tom Aspinall beating Jon Jones

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez gives his prediction on a potential fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall.

Many see [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] as the guy to beat [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] in MMA. However, a man who knows a thing or two about being “The Baddest Man on the Planet” thinks otherwise.

[autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag], former UFC heavyweight champion, doesn’t see Jones losing to Aspinall should they meet in a UFC heavyweight title unification bout this year. Velasquez has seen some things in the Englishman’s game, and he’s sure Jones has seen them, too.

“No, I don’t think he does,” Velasquez told Ariel Helwani when asked if he thinks Aspinall would beat Jones. “Me just watching him, I kind of see his pattern a little bit in his striking, the way he comes in and strikes. I think Jon sees it too.

“Again, Jon studies, man. He does his homework, you know. He’s a master at this. He analyzes things and studies things over and over again. I think just for that reason, he’s going to know what to do. I don’t think he beats Jon, no.”

There’s nothing official in regard to a potential heavyweight clash between Jones and Aspinall. However, in December, UFC CEO Dana White said he’d 100 percent guarantee the fight would happen in 2025. Jones holds the UFC heavyweight title, and Aspinall is the interim. Both men have defended their belts once.

It’s uncertain if the bout will come to fruition or if Jones will retire. But if the fight does happen, Velasquez think Jones will dissect him and beat him, just as he has everybody else he’s fought.

“Everybody has a fight pattern and he has a fight pattern,” Velasquez said. “Some disguise it better than others. … (Aspinall) does have a pattern that’s somewhat easier to find, when he comes in and strikes. So a lot of things come with that, disguising your pattern, throwing fakes here and there, but when he comes in and attacks, he attacks. It’s 100 percent full go. He comes in, glides in, lunges in, and does his attack. Not that is not effective, it is. He’s done great things with it, look at where he’s at now. But I think the type of guy that Jon Jones is, I think he studies him and beats him because of that.”

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Jon Jones ducking Tom Aspinall? Actually just a ‘stroke of genius,’ says Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping praises UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ negotiation tactics for a potential Tom Aspinall fight.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] praises UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ negotiation tactics before he potentially fights [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Jones has been dismissive of interim champ Aspinall and wants to be paid handsomely for a title-unification bout. Despite his reluctance to fight Aspinall next after finishing Stipe Miocic this past November at UFC 309, Dana White guaranteed that the fight will happen this year.

Bisping thinks Jones’ (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) plan is coming to fruition. He asked for “f*ck you money” to fight Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), and he may just get that.

“As we know, Jon Jones kind of shied away from fighting Tom Aspinall leading up to the Stipe fight, which was an absolute stroke of genius in terms of marketing, because it drove the demand through the roof, sky high, made it the fight that everybody wants to see,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Well, guess what? The man is going to get paid properly more than likely. That’s the rumor.”

Jones seeking how much to fight Aspinall?

That rumor stemmed from UFC commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan, who revealed the number that he heard Jones is asking for.

“I think its’s going to be Aspinall. I think they’re trying to come to some sort of an agreement,” Rogan said on a recent episode of his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “The rumor is that he wants $30 million, and the UFC is going to pay it hopefully. I hope they pay it.”

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Video: Tom Aspinall’s cageside commentary during Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

Check out interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall’s live reactions to Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic heavyweight title fight at UFC 309.

UFC interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] didn’t get the opportunity to unify the title at UFC 309, but he was cageside to watch [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] defend against [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

The main event of the penultimate UFC pay-per-view of 2024 took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, topped by a heavyweight title bout billed as a GOAT vs. GOAT showdown.

Aspinall, who weighed in as an alternate and would have much rather been competing in that main event fight against Jones, had to settle for watching cageside. His candid reactions and live commentary were captured on “UFC Front Row” as the fight unfolded.

As he looked on, Aspinall offered immediate thoughts on the fight and how both fighters could have made adjustments.

“Stipe needs to get a bit on the front foot for me,” Aspinall said. “The minute, he’s just letting Jon Jones walk him down.”

Aspinall even offered a bit of sideline coaching advice for Jones, which ended up coming to fruition to end the fight.

“Jon’s been southpaw for most of the fight, which is unusual,” Aspinall said. “Good kick. You know, if I was Jon, I’d work the kicks a little bit more.”

Bang. A few seconds later, Jones dropped Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body.

“Impressive,” Aspinall said. “… Good shot selection from Jon. Very smart guy.”

Check out the full video above.

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Henry Cejudo: Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria could be bigger than Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman have opposing views on the potential biggest UFC fight in 2025.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] and Kamaru Usman have opposing views on the potential biggest UFC fight in 2025.

Usman thinks if the heavyweight title-unification bout between champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and interim champ [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) materializes, the lure of Jones never being beaten makes it the biggest fight.

However, Cejudo says UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) chasing dual-champ status against the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) is more exciting.

“I personally believe that (Makhachev vs. Topuria) could potentially be bigger than Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “Competitively, of course, man. It’s not just that – it’s the simple fact that Ilia Topuria has a chance to become champ-champ.

“The heavyweight division, we’ll just know who’s the real undisputed champion. But in this position, if Ilia does win, that puts him in a category of, f*ck, you beat the former pound-for-pound (best) in (Alexander) Volkanovski, you’re beating the current pound-for-pound in a guy like Islam Makhachev. Give him his flowers.”

Despite Jones’ reluctance, UFC CEO Dana White guaranteed that Jones vs. Aspinall happens next year. As for Makhachev vs. Topuria, Makhachev dismissed the matchup, explaining that he’s not interested in defending his belt against another featherweight. Makhachev is currently slated to run things back with Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC 311 headliner on Jan. 18.

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Daniel Cormier shares key takeaway from Dana White’s guarantee on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

Daniel Cormier thinks Dana White’s confidence UFC titles will be unified means Jon Jones got “a number big enough” to face Tom Aspinall.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is confident the UFC heavyweight title unification bout between [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] will come to fruition in 2025.

UFC CEO Dana White recently 100 percent guaranteed that Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will clash in a highly anticipated matchup next year.

If White’s confidence becomes reality and the unification bout does materialize, Cormier thinks Jones – win or lose – will retire from active competition afterward.

“(White’s comment) tells me that they’re getting it done,” Cormier told MMA Junkie. “It tells me that they’ve given Jon Jones a number big enough to get it done, because I always thought that Jones was kind of negotiating publicly. I don’t think for a second he’s afraid of anyone. I think that he was kind of going, ‘I want a number so big that I’m going to ride off into the sunset and be done.’

“But he’s also kind of laying the foundation for people to recognize that it’s almost over. He’s about done, right? So, start getting ready for life after Jon Jones because I do believe that he’s laid the foundation for a massive payday, but what will be his final payday. I don’t think he’ll be a guy that if he gets beat, or if the fights get more competitive, will just stick around trying to make money.”

Although it’s rare for White to speak publicly about an unannounced matchup with the confidence he did when discussing Jones vs. Aspinall, nothing is official as of yet. The details when it comes to date and location are still unconfirmed, and until that is sorted, a degree of uncertainty will exist.

Cormier has faith White’s words will prove accurate, though, and thinks it would be in Jones’ best interest to schedule things for the nearest available date.

“He (White) would say that if he feels like they’re getting close or it’s done,” Cormier said. “I would probably think to the summer. If I was Jon Jones, I would do this earlier than later because every month that passes, he just gets older, and Tom Aspinall gets better. So, I would try and do this as soon as possible. I wouldn’t want to wait until New York next year, where he’s almost 38, 39 years old with that kid just continuing to improve.”

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Curtis Blaydes can envision Tom Aspinall finishing UFC champ Jon Jones early

Curtis Blaydes sees Tom Aspinall being the first fighter to take out UFC champ Jon Jones.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] sees [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] being the first to take out UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

UFC CEO Dana White guaranteed that the title-unification bout between interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and heavyweight champ Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) will happen in 2025.

Aspinall has torn through the heavyweight ranks en route to claiming the interim title and successfully defended it when he needed just one minute to stop Blaydes by knockout at UFC 304.

Blaydes (18-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) thinks Aspinall can do the same to Jones.

“I would pick him (Aspinall),” Blaydes said in an interview with Sportskeeda. “Like, I would go 55 percent him. Obviously, it’s not going to be a landslide. Like, we’re going against Jon Jones. He’s a legend. He’s got all the weapons. I think one area where Tom can win is just a presence inside. Like, Jon Jones gets away with being able to stand in front of his opponent and just paw and pick at him with the inside leg kicks and the teeps and the jabs. I don’t think Aspinall is just going to allow him to hang out at that range.

“I think he’s going to be blitzing him in and out, and that’ll be the difference. I think in one of those ins and outs, he’s going to be able to catch him, because it only takes one. He definitely has the speed. He doesn’t have the range that Jon has, but who does? But I think he knows that. I think he’ll get on the inside of that range, and I think he’ll be able to land an overhand. And it’ll probably be early because he likes to blitz. He doesn’t like to wait. So yeah, I think it’ll happen early.”

Jones notched his first title defense when he stopped Stipe Miocic by Round 3 TKO at UFC 309. He said he’d need “f*ck you” money to consider facing Aspinall, and it appears the UFC is actively working on making the fight happen.

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