'It's down to money,' Tom Aspinall alleges Jon Jones for delaying fight

Tom Aspinall on Sunday revealed that Jon Jones, the reigning heavyweight champion, does not want to risk losing without being heavily paid.

The highly anticipated bout between Aspinall and Jones has been in talks for quite some time, and Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has validated it after claiming that it will occur this year.

Jones successfully defended his title with an impressive win over Stipe Miocic in November 2025.

However, Jones made it clear that he wanted a handsome amount of money before agreeing on his next fight, which led to prolonged negotiations for his title unification bout with Aspinall. 

Aspinall, while talking about Jones delaying negotiations for their highly anticipated fight, claimed that the heavyweight champion does not want to fight without compensation. 

"[Jones] doesn't want to take the risk at the moment. I actually have a meeting with tonight about it. So we'll find out what happens tonight, believe it or not... Me personally, I can't do anything. I think it's just down to money, I think on his side. So, I will fight whenever, wherever he wants, but it's down to money I think."

Aspinall praised Jones's fighting skills but claimed that the opponent can not withstand his power if the bout takes place soon.

"[Jones'] got a lot of miles on the clock and he's fighting one of the most concussive punchers in UFC history. And, I just think I can exploit it. Like, I think to get out the way of me for 25 minutes at this point in his career without getting hit once, and that's all I need is one, I think that's going to be very difficult for anybody."