Veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani recently dropped a controversial news on the IMPAULSIVE podcast. He talked about Jon Jones’ reluctant approach to competing against then interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
According to Helwani, the situation unfolded in a way that left UFC officials frustrated and fans questioning Jones’ commitment to unifying the heavyweight titles. Helwani explained that Jones has been strategically avoiding the Aspinall match.
“Yes, I think he didn’t want to fight him,” Helwani stated when asked directly if Jones was ducking Aspinall. The reasoning, according to Helwani, was purely calculated: “He is so close to the end, so close to retiring as undefeated. Are you going to risk it all to fight this one guy who was really, really good and in my opinion would have given him a tough fight and probably would have beaten him?”
The most surprising revelation came when Helwani detailed the alleged financial negotiations. “My information is that he gave the UFC a number. He gave them a price tag. He said, ‘I’ll do it for this number,'” Helwani revealed. That number was a staggering $30 million for the fight, which Helwani believes Jones deserves and potentially more.
What makes this story particularly damaging for Jones’ reputation is what allegedly happened next. According to Helwani, Jones likely expected the UFC to reject such a massive financial demand, similar to what happened with his proposed Francis Ngannou superfight in 2020 when he asked for “Deontay Wilder numbers” and was turned down. However, this time the promotion called his bluff.
“I don’t believe as like the [guaranteed purse] it could have ended up that way after pay-per-view and blah blah blah, but like off the jump, no,” Helwani explained about previous UFC payouts. But for the Aspinall fight, things were different. “I think he didn’t think that they would come up with the number. And they did. And then he said, ‘Yes.'”
Helwani then revealed that Saudi Arabia became involved in the negotiations, bringing the financial firepower necessary to meet Jones’ demands. “I believe that Saudi Arabia was involved. Like the big dogs were involved, right? They came up with the number. And he said yes.”
However, Jones’ acceptance was short-lived. “And then two days later, three days later, whatever, he said, ‘Nah, on second thought, I’m out,'” Helwani disclosed. This alleged about-face explains UFC CEO Dana White’s frustration when Jones announced his retirement, with White stating that Jones “gave me his word and then he went back on his word.”
The situation paints Jones in an unfavorable light, suggesting he was hoping to avoid the fight entirely by pricing himself out of it, only to back down when his bluff was called.
Helwani criticized the handling of the situation, particularly the timeline. “You knew Tom was the guy you last fought in November. Why did you wait all the way until June? Why did you drag this out all the way until June when you knew you weren’t going to fight him?”
While Helwani emphasized that he doesn’t “knock him” for being calculated given his legendary status, the journalist expressed disappointment in how the situation was handled, wishing “it was handled differently.”
