Jon Jones has been told he is `deceiving` fans by continuing to delay discussions for his heavyweight title unification fight.
Tom Aspinall has been pursuing Jones for the past year since winning the interim belt. UFC president Dana White has stated that the fight, considered the biggest possible currently, is practically finalized.
For months, Aspinall has maintained that he has agreed to his part of the deal, but it is believed Jones is waiting for a record-breaking payment. Speaking with Logan Paul on the Impaulsive podcast, the British fighter claimed this is an attempt to scam fans.
Tom Aspinall Criticizes Jon Jones in Latest Attack
Tom Aspinall`s persistent campaign for a fight with Jon Jones led him to New York to confront his rival and embark on an extensive media tour advocating for the bout. At UFC London, he even trolled Jones with a duck toy, suggesting his rival is avoiding or `ducking` the fight.
Aspinall has defended his interim heavyweight belt as many times as Jones has defended the undisputed title, and he is no longer interested in competing for a secondary belt. Speaking with Paul and Mike Majlak, he explained: “Jon is deceiving the public.
“Listen, I`m not disputing that he’s an amazing fighter. I think the fact that he didn’t want to fight Francis Ngannou for three years and now he doesn’t want to fight me for over a year, and the way he manipulates the media and the public is very clever. I don’t want to take anything away from him.
“But do I think he’s scared to take the tough fights at this stage in his career? Absolutely. I can understand it, I respect it. But if you’re going to ask me the straight up question ‘is Jon Jones afraid to fight me?’ The honest answer would be ‘yes’.”
Jon Jones Demands Generational Payday for Tom Aspinall Fight
Jones has not spoken openly about fighting Aspinall recently, instead choosing to share cryptic messages and encourage fans to chant against his rival last week. However, after his last victory at UFC 309, he mentioned that the compensation required to make the fight happen would be substantial.
“I just don’t like him, and ultimately, if I give him the opportunity to fight me, I want to be extremely compensated,” Jones told the media at Madison Square Garden after defending his world title against Stipe Miocic.
“I want to say it, I want that ‘f— you’ money, honestly. That’s just the reality. Otherwise, my life is perfect without him. I don’t need him at all, and he needs me, which is a favorable position in negotiations.”
