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An MMA pioneer recently backed Jon Jones' pursuit for a significant bump in pay if the UFC wants to book a title unification bout with Tom Aspinall. The support comes amid criticism toward the reigning heavyweight by some in the MMA community who claim he is 'ducking' the Englishman.
Since his impressive TKO win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, fans have pleaded for Dana White to make the heavyweight title unification bout a reality. White has said that he is confident that 'Bones' will defend his title against the Englishman. Jones, however, has remained steadfast that it will basically require life-changing money for him to fight Aspinall.
In a video that was recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, MMA pioneer Gary Goodridge expressed his support for 'Bones' despite public backlash from fans accusing him of ducking the interim champion. Goodridge mentioned that Jones has more to lose than Aspinall, and so he should be compensated because of what he has accomplished and what he is risking:
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Why should [Jones] fight [Aspinall]? Why should he lose his status?...He said, 'I'll fight this guy for fu*k off money'. Meaning that for a whole sum of money, tens of millions to walk out. He has no reason to. It shows he built up such a big following and an aura around him as the king of MMA. Why is he gonna do that? Only stupid people like me that would fight anyone anytime, anywhere, any style. Very stupid people like me."
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Check out Gary Goodridge's comments about Jon Jones below:
Dana White says Jon Jones wants to fight Tom Aspinall
Despite the public perception surrounding the potential Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight, Dana White said that 'Bones' does in fact want to fight the Englishman.
During his latest appearance on the popular ESPN sports show 'First Take', the UFC CEO mentioned that Jones has never turned down a fight and there is a false narrative that he doesn't want to fight Aspinall:
"I'm the guy that hears all the stuff behind-the-scenes. All the biggest tough guys that you all love, I hear them turning down fights...Jones is the exact opposite. Jon Jones will fight anybody...He has never said behind-the-scenes, 'I won't fight Tom Aspinall'. It's the exact opposite. Yet to the public, he makes it seem like he doesn't want to fight Tom Aspinall." [6:24]
Check out Dana White's appearance on 'First Take' below:
