Jon Jones may be aiming for a massive 30 million dollar purse for his rumored heavyweight showdown with Tom Aspinall, but former UFC champion Daniel Cormier isn’t sure that figure is in the cards. Cormier, who has been in the game for years, gave his honest thoughts on Jones’ hefty demands, making it clear that while a 30 million dollar payout might sound like a lot, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Will Jones Get the Big Payday?
Jones, known for his dominant career, reportedly earned around 10 million dollars plus pay-per-view bonuses for his past two fights, a sum that already puts him in the high-earning category. But when you compare that to the 30 million he wants for this fight with Aspinall, it’s a big jump. Cormier said 15 million dollars is a win for him, noting that while Jones could aim high, the UFC is unlikely to meet such a steep ask, especially considering that even Cormier’s own earnings in his prime were a fraction of that amount.
“I’ll tell you guys right now as a person that has been involved in big fights, a person that has sold pay-per-views, a person that at his time was at the top of the pay scale in the UFC as the heavyweight and light heavyweight champion,” Cormier said on his Youtube channel. “$30 million was literally a world away from anything we were making.
But if you’re asking for $30 million and end up with $20 or $15….. that’s a win for Jon Jones on his way out.
“I remember when I got paid in New York, I got a big bump to take a fight on three weeks’ notice, which ultimately became my salary, and people were astounded with the number. But I will tell you it was a fraction of what that number that he’s asking for is.”
Cormier, who made around 4 million dollars for his UFC 230 win over Derrick Lewis, explained that UFC fighters generally don’t get paydays anywhere close to 30 million dollars. Still, the business of the UFC has been changing, with stars like Jones and Conor McGregor proving that bigger paydays are possible if they bring in massive revenue. While it may seem far-fetched to some, Cormier acknowledged that times are changing, and the UFC is starting to recognize the value of paying top fighters what they’re worth.
On the topic of Jones’ potential loss to Aspinall, Cormier suggested that the UFC might not mind if Jones doesn’t come out on top. He said the UFC may need Jones to lose to Aspinall. While Jones is a fighter capable of walking away with the championship, Cormier believes a loss could be an opportunity for the promotion to build a new star without the shadow of Jones looming large over the division.
“Jones leaves, and you can do whatever you want,” Cormier said. “We could go Aspinall versus Pereira, Aspinall versus this guy, or that guy. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because, even though Francis Ngannou isn’t the name that Jon Jones is, people were saying when Jones became champ.
“Well, he didn’t beat Francis,” right? There was a break in the heavyweight championship timeline. If you want to say it like that, we can make massive fights, but it will never overcome the idea that Jon Jones left as the champ.
“And then that would happen two times back to back. So it’d be a massive mistake. They’ve got to get him in there with Aspinall. And you’ve got to hope that Aspinall wins if you want the heavyweight title to continue being what the heavyweight title has been. Because if he doesn’t, and Jones goes, “I’m walking away as the greatest of all time, as the reigning heavyweight champion,” it leaves a gap that’s hard to fill.”
For Cormier, the UFC’s strategy moving forward is about more than just money. It’s about building new stars and keeping the promotion fresh. He pointed out that while Jones is a legend in the sport, sometimes a loss can create a new narrative that keeps things engaging. He compared this situation to Conor McGregor’s rise through the ranks, how McGregor moved up from featherweight to lightweight, taking the title in both divisions and becoming a global superstar in the process. Despite McGregor never losing the featherweight title, other fighters like Max Holloway rose to prominence after McGregor outgrew the division, proving that champions can still become legends, even after they’ve moved on.
“Conor McGregor comes back to fight and goes, ‘I want $30 million to fight,” the UFC considers it,” Cormier added. “Why? Because when Conor McGregor was scheduled to fight at International Fight Week, the gate was $22 million. Sustainable business. You’ve got to be able to sustain your business if you’re going to be paying those types of numbers.
“Conor makes $22 million at the gate, Conor has sponsorships, Conor definitely sells a million and a half, two million pay-per-views, you can almost understand Conor McGregor saying ‘Give me $30 million’ and why it might happen. I don’t know if Jones does that.”
Whether Jones gets his 30 million dollars or not remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: the stakes are high, and Cormier’s perspective gives us an inside look at what might be next for both fighters and the UFC.
