"That's not being a coward" - Jon Jones explains declining $30 million for Tom Aspinall fight but calling for Alex Pereira clash at UFC White House 

Jon Jones recently opened up about refusing to fight Tom Aspinall despite having a $30 million offer on the table, while explaining why he wants to face Alex Pereira at UFC White House next June.

For context, Jones held the UFC heavyweight championship until his sudden retirement from the sport in June. Before hanging up the gloves, Jones had been in talks with the UFC about facing the then-interim champion Aspinall in a blockbuster heavyweight title unification bout. It later came to light that 'Bones' was offered $30 million to face Aspinall. However, Jones decided not to take the fight.

UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed that Jones had retired from the game and Aspinall was promoted to full champion. Intriguingly, Jones returned to the UFC testing pool only a month later, voicing his desire to compete on the White House card. Over the past few months, he's notably called out Pereira for a superfight at heavyweight via several social media posts and interviews.

In a recent interview on Geoffrey Woo's podcast, Jones explained his actions and said:

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"Some of my motivations aren't traditional anymore. I don't think I care about what most fighters would care about. Most fighters wouldn't turn down $30 million. They just wouldn't do that. My goals are different than other people's these days. It's more a matter of legacy."

Explaining his pursuit of a fight against Pereira, Jones added:

"Pereira, literally, one of the only things he says is, 'Chama,' and people are [yelling], 'Chama!' No one even knows what it means, but he has that 'it' factor. That's part of the reason why I wanted to compete against Pereira. I felt as if the brand that he represents and the energy that he has behind him will be remembered more than just five years from now... I’ve gotten to a point in fighting where I have a lot more to lose than to gain. That’s not being a coward or whatever, that’s just the truth."

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Jon Jones explains how Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira are "the same fight"

In the same interview, Jon Jones explained how Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira share a similar profile as fighters. Jones pointed out that they both have serious punching power but lacks the necessary grappling prowess to go up against him.

Explaining his stance (via @ChampRDS on X), Jones said:

"[Pereira] punches really hard and kicks really hard. I think my grappling power and wisdom would be a lot for him to handle, but I also believe that would be the same scenario with Tom Aspinall... Tom is a lot physically bigger, it'd probably take me a little bit more effort. I think it'll be the same story if I take Tom to the ground, as it would be if I got Pereira to the ground. To me, it's the same fight."

Edited by Nishant Zende.