Am MMA insider has weighed in on the uncertainty surrounding whether Jon Jones will accept a fight against Tom Aspinall for the title unifier. Former UFC veteran Chael Sonnen believes that if the promotion officially offers Jones the fight, he will accept it without hesitation.
The UFC Hall of Famer addressed speculation that Jones is avoiding Aspinall on Instagram. He challenged this narrative, emphasizing that the UFC has yet to offer the fight to ‘Bones':
“My permission as the greatest insider in this sport, Jon will not turn that fight down. Jon has not been offered that fight. That's the monster in the closet that people don't seem to want to be true. There has not been a suggestion of a date or a venue not yet and a phone call to Jon where his opponent would be Tom for the undisputed title. If you believe that Jon Jones is refusing to do those things, you're wrong. He's not yet been presented with that offer.”
Check out Chael Sonnen’s comments below:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
In his most recent UFC outing, Jones defended his heavyweight title against former two-time champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. The pound-for-pound No. 2 delivered a masterclass performance, securing victory with a spinning back kick to the rib cage in the third round.
‘Bones’ has since been out of action and has expressed that he wants fair compensation for accepting a fight against Aspinall.
Colby Covington accuses Jon Jones of ducking Tom Aspinall and demanding unreasonable pay
Speaking with Tim Welch on his YouTube channel, Colby Covington was asked for his thoughts on whether Jon Jones would accept the unification bout. ‘Chaos’ accused the reigning heavyweight champion of ducking and called him out for making unrealistic financial demands, saying:
“Jon's ducking, and he's trying to ask for an unreasonable price. You can't be asking for $40–$50 million when you don't draw money to the company like that. I think he's going to end up retiring before he fights Aspinall.”
Check out Colby Covington's comments below (19:10):
Meanwhile, Aspinall remains in a prolonged wait to fight Jones since his last bout against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, where the UK native secured a knockout victory in the first round.