Henry Cejudo believes UFC champion Jon Jones has earned the right to ask for a massive payday to fight Tom Aspinall.
Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall has been eagerly awaiting his title-unification bout with Jones, but it’s yet to materialize. With Daniel Cormier claiming that Khabib Nurmagomedov once turned down the UFC’s $40 million offer to come out of retirement, Cejudo thinks Jones should be offered a similar amount to fight Aspinall.
Joe Rogan said Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) wants $30 million to fight Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) – which he later retracted after UFC CEO Dana White reached out to him to deny the claim. Cejudo thinks “Bones” should use that number as leverage.
“Joe Rogan just came up with the whole $30 million deal, keep it at $30 million, he just helped you,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “This is what should be the storyline. If they’re willing to give Khabib Nurmagomedov $40 million, what is the greatest of all time worth?
“If Joe Rogan just said there’s a $30 million deal in there, let’s do it. Stick to that number. You’re undefeated, you deserve it, and Turki’s (Alalshikh) been giving money like crazy. Why don’t you get Turki involved, do it in Saudi Arabia, make it one of the biggest fights of all time, and do it. That’s how you get your money.”
Jones vs. Aspinall prediction
If the matchup does end up happening, Cejudo sees Jones’ experience and fight IQ being too much for Aspinall.
“We all know that Tom is dangerous, but there’s just too many tools that Jon has, too many tools. ” Cejudo said. “And I feel like this is where Aspinall is (boxing), he’s not much of a kicker. He’s not much of a grappler, too, and I feel like those are things that Jon brings, and he’s too smart. As soon as this guy starts coming, boom, there’s a clinch, there’s a leg. There’s all that, but he just has to be careful in that first round, and I think after that it’s all gravy.”
To hear more from Cejudo, check out his complete appears on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.
