Jon Jones is in an enviable position right now when it comes to his negotiating power with the UFC but that won’t last forever.
Still, Brown cautions Jones not to overplay his hand because eventually the UFC will just move on without him.
“They know that the biggest heavyweight fight you can make is with Jon Jones, period,” Brown said during the latest episode of The Fighter vs.
“They want the biggest fight in heavyweight history and they know that’s what Tom and Jon would provide at this point.
If he didn’t think the Jon Jones fight was going to happen, he probably would have taken another fight.
When it comes to his negotiating leverage with the UFC, Jon Jones is currently in an advantageous position, but that won’t last indefinitely.
That is the opinion of UFC legend Matt Brown, who acknowledges that fighters have limited power when interacting with matchmakers and executives such as Dana White and Hunter Campbell. However, Jones has placed himself in a position where he has somewhat more control over his career given the attention being given to a possible bout with Tom Aspinall. However, Jones is advised by Brown not to overplay his hand because the UFC will eventually simply move on without him.
During the most recent episode of The Fighter vs. Jon Jones, Brown stated, “They know that the biggest heavyweight fight you can make is with Jon Jones, period.”. the author. They’re aware of that. Additionally, we are aware that the UFC will break records in his absence. However, it seems to rely on the level of authority that the UFC grants Jon.
They know that at this point, Tom and Jon would deliver the biggest fight in heavyweight history, which is what they desire. They also know that they will build someone up if Jon simply says, “F*ck you,” and leaves. They’ll make Ciryl Gane appear like some shit or the f*cking boogeyman of the East. This story is not new to us. It continues. It keeps moving forward. Simply put, the heavyweight division is harder to get into. “.”.
Brown thinks Jones is in a great position right now because of the dearth of heavyweight options and his significant star power, especially since the UFC is currently negotiating a new broadcast agreement that will begin in 2026.
If, say, former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou were still alive, things would be very different, but since he isn’t an option, the UFC is familiar with Jones vs. Perhaps the biggest fight in the sport at the moment is Aspinall.
“That’s the problem, because Jon does have some power,” Brown clarified. That’s the cash cow division because it’s heavyweight. The most heated arguments occur there. The majority of people are concerned about that. There is an intriguing power balance there. Sort of bouncing back and forth and negotiating, and I believe Jon is in that stage of his career.
“He desires greater authority. That is the kind of guy he is. You can see who he is by watching an interview with him. That power is what he desire. Being the f*cking man is his goal. His goal is to earn the money. The UFC will attempt to combat that because we are aware of their character. “”.
The fact that the UFC still controls a large portion of the MMA market and has been generating record-breaking profits while superstars like Conor McGregor have essentially vanished is working against Jones.
However, that does not preclude the UFC from making money off of Jones vs. Aspinall, however, the goodwill being maintained at the moment due to the delays in bringing that fight to fruition will not endure indefinitely.
Brown stated, “The UFC is in a position where it almost doesn’t even matter anymore.”. They will sell a ton. They have a very strong brand. How much can happen without a major change in the law is beyond me. Apart from that, they will proceed. “”.
Naturally, Aspinall has been quite outspoken about how frustrated he is with waiting for Jones, but Brown doesn’t believe that he is truly prepared to put that fight behind him.
Despite all of the commotion Aspinall has caused in interviews and on social media, Brown thinks the UFC has most likely told him that the fight with Jones will take place eventually or he would have already moved on to someone else.
“The details of what goes on behind the scenes are unknown to us,” Brown stated. We are unaware of the statements made by Aspinall or Jon. In my opinion, Aspinall is trustworthy. He most likely would have fought someone else if he had not believed that the Jon Jones fight would take place.
When I compared it to the [Michael] Chandler situation [with Conor McGregor], I was a little more insistent about that because I thought Chandler was waiting for something, and the likelihood that it would happen was low. It also seemed to get smaller and smaller as time went on. Aspinall has a valid reason to be waiting for Jon, while he is hoping for a glimpse of home. Jon is still going strong. He said, “I’ll fight him, I just need the right number,” essentially saying that he still has things to fight for. ‘”.
In the end, Brown anticipates a deal will be reached because Jones wants to use a fight against Aspinall to further establish his legacy, and he is well-positioned to do so.
Brown believes Jones still has some fight left in him, and Aspinall is the biggest and best option available, unlike Conor McGregor, who might never compete again.
Brown declared that Jon was a fighter. He isn’t Conor, even though Conor is a fighter; I’m not disparaging him for that. Jon is an entirely different creature. He is a barbaric individual. He wants to engage in combat. You can simply tell. I believe Conor was there once, but it’s pretty obvious he hasn’t been there in a while. He wants to fight people.
Additionally, Jon has no one else to fight. He fights Tom, no question about it, if he intends to continue. There are no alternatives available. Tom is waiting for him as a result. I understand, and I believe he would have gone to other battles if he had other choices and wasn’t sure this would happen with Jon. “.”.
