MMA commentator Joe Rogan recently came on his podcast to announce that heavyweight champion Jon Jones was requesting $30 million for a fight with Aspinall. However, it seems this claim is only a false rumor, as Rogan has come out to debunk his recent announcement.
The UFC commentator has nothing but respect for the heavyweight champ and was on Jones’s side when the fighter was hesitant to battle interim champion Tom Aspinall. On his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, he said Jones was requesting a $30 million payday to face Tom Aspinall, but following a call from UFC CEO Dana White, Rogan came out on a recent episode to retract his initial statement.
“I had heard a rumor that Jon Jones wanted $30 million to fight Tom Aspinall — and I did hear that rumor. I did hear the UFC said yes, but it is not true,” Rogan said. “So Dana contacted me and said that rumor was bullshit. So, I felt obligated to tell everybody that was a fake rumor.”
“Apparently, Jon is thinking about retiring,” Rogan said. “And he should. He’s going to have to someday. I’m not saying he should retire, I’m saying he should think about it.
“Give the man all the time he wants. He can fight whenever he wants to fight. That’s Jon Jones. He’s the GOAT. So leave him alone. If he decides one day to come back, and he comes back and wants to fight Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title… the question is, how long are you allowed to hold onto the title before they start having that conversation? Now, he just knocked out Stipe Miocic, so give the man months. Give the man five or six months. Just leave him the f*ck alone.
“But at a certain point in time, you have to decide who the heavyweight champion is. And if Tom is the interim heavyweight champion and Jon decides he doesn’t want to fight anymore, he could do that — and he could do that, come back in a year and fight for the title. He can do that. He can do whatever he wants.”
Bones” was last seen in action at UFC 309 in November 2024, where he secured a third-round knockout win over former champion Stipe Miocic in his first heavyweight title defence since his hiatus from the octagon.
Meanwhile, Aspinall has held the interim heavyweight title since knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023. He further solidified his reign with another knockout win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024. Hopefully the two champs get to battle it out in the cage before Jones retires.
