Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has shared his candid reaction to Jon Jones’ latest X post in which a frustrated and heartbroken “Bones” called out the UFC to release him.
This past weekend, during UFC 326, the company announced the White House bouts, and Jones’ name wasn’t in the list. Weighing in on the same, Dana White said at the post-fight presser that “Bones” is done with MMA due to severe arthritis in his hips, and the promotion was never in talks with him to book him for the June 14 mega card.
Reacting to White’s comments, Jones claimed that he was going to start training camp soon for the White House event, and hip arthritis wasn’t going to stop his potential last dance.
However, the UFC lowballed him, and even this past Friday, he and his manager were in negotiations with the UFC brass to fight on June 14, but things ultimately didn’t work out. But Dana White pushed the narrative that “Bones” wasn’t even on the radar, which is not true.
Jones urged the promotion to release him from his contract in the same X post:
If the UFC truly feels like I’m done, then I respectfully ask to be released from my contract today. No more spins, no more games. Thank you to the real fans who know what’s up. Bones out.”
Check out Jon Jones’s statement in the post below:
Tom Aspinall defends “Bones”: “If anyone should be getting paid a lot in this sport, it should be Jon Jones”
On The Ariel Helwani Show, Tom Aspinall gave his thoughts on Jon Jones asking to be released and accusing the UFC of lowballing him.
Despite “Bones” refusing to unify the titles in 2025 and stalling then-interim champ Aspinall’s career, the Brit still came to his defense.
Tom Aspinall opined that stars like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor deserve bigger paydays for playing a major role in helping the company reach its pinnacle and bringing in massive revenue, fans, and PPV buys. He said:
This is probably going to sound crazy to a lot of people listening, but why is the UFC not giving Jon the respect he deserves financially? That’s crazy to me. If anyone should be getting paid a lot in this sport, it should be Jon Jones for the stuff he’s done, and that’s me saying that… If anybody should be getting money in this sport, it’s Jon Jones. They offered him $30 million to fight him, so why not offer it again? I do not understand.”
The Brit reaffirmed that the UFC’s biggest draws, like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, deserve proper paydays.
We’re talking about Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. Those are the guys who’ve brought in revenue for over 10 years. They need to be getting paid what they deserve.” [h/t: Ariel Helwani]
Check out Tom Aspinall’s comments about Jon Jones below:
Tom Aspinall, on the other hand, now has Eddie Hearn and Matchroom in his corner as commercial advisers, which could make it difficult for the UFC to lowball him in negotiations.
