Chael Sonnen Exposes Jon Jones’ Real Star Power; Explains Dana White’s Headache over Super Fight

UFC veteran Chael Sonnen believes Jon Jones isn't the biggest pay-per-view star in UFC history.

Chael Sonnen Exposes Jon Jones’ Real Star Power; Explains Dana White’s Headache over Super Fight

Chael Sonnen questions Jon Jones' star power (via X/Imago)

Jon Jones versus Tom Aspinall is the biggest fight on UFC’s table, a heavyweight title unification bout that fans eagerly await. Despite several tries to make it happen, Jones has not accepted the fight, seemingly avoiding the interim champion for months. According to Aspinall, the delay is caused by Jones and his negotiations with UFC, with recent developments suggesting the same.

While there were previous rumours about Jones demanding $30 million, recent reports indicate that the requested fight purse was around $12 million. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen discussed the financial details of this potential deal. As a former rival and veteran, Sonnen shared intricate insights into Jones’ star power and influence within the UFC business.

Jon doesn’t hold any of the records. He’s got no PPV, no live gate, no t-shirt…he has zero records. And it wasn’t a matter of Conor came in and beat it, Jon never had them.

Jones’ biggest pay-per-view event was UFC 214, where he fought arch-nemesis Daniel Cormier in a light heavyweight title fight. Jones won the fight by knockout, but the result was overturned after he tested positive for steroid use by USADA. The fight sold approximately 860,000 pay-per-views, far less than Conor McGregor’s 2.4 million buys at UFC 229.

Sonnen explained that giving Jones that much money might not benefit Dana White and the UFC in the long term. The veteran pointed out that fighters often demand more money after winning, using their previous fight purse as negotiation leverage.

If you come to the table $12 million for this one fight. You are not gonna get him again and who’s his next fight. Is it Curtis Blaydes, is it Derrick Lewis. It’s a much smaller match but you gotta pay him the same thing. You could justify $12 million for Jon Jones for Aspinall plus PPV points which is gonna bring it to almost $20 million but you can’t give him that again.

However, it is safe to say Jones likely doesn’t have many fights left, as he has considered retirement multiple times recently. Nevertheless, all these discussions become meaningless if the long-anticipated title unification fight never takes place.

Jon Jones gets contradicted by Tom Aspinall over recent fight news

Jon Jones was recently in Thailand, enjoying himself while filming for a Russian reality TV show and clearly having a blast. The project was originally planned as a collaboration between Jones and UFC legend Nate Diaz, adding star power to the production. However, organizers later removed Diaz due to a brawl, though that hasn’t disrupted Jones’ trip or engagement with curious fans.

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall back and forth
Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall back and forth (via Imago)

Initially, Jones dropped subtle hints about retiring from the sport without ever stepping into the octagon to face Tom Aspinall. Later, he claimed a UFC contract prevented him from making any official announcements regarding the potential fight. However, Aspinall recently refuted those claims entirely during his appearance on the Good Guy/Bad Guy Show interview segment.

Nah, man, Jon’s retired. What are we talking about, guys? The guy is living his best life, he’s had a fantastic career, we all know. We know Jones is a religious man, so I want to say God bless him moving forward and with what he does with his life and his career. We move on.

Aspinall has waited for more than a year in order to get the title unification bout with Jones and is definitely frustrated at this point. The same goes for fans who have unanimously filed a petition to strip ‘Bones’ from his position as the heavyweight champion. Everything now depends on the UFC and its announcement for the fight.