The fallout from the UFC’s White House card announcement didn’t just spark fan debates. It reopened one of the sport’s most complicated rivalries between Jon Jones and the promotion. But surprisingly, Tom Aspinall, the undisputed heavyweight champion, is siding with his old rival. Aspinall spent almost two years chasing a fight with Jones, and he now finds himself defending the former champion’s stance in a growing dispute with Dana White.

The conflict exploded after Jones claimed he was negotiating for the historic June 14 event before receiving what he described as a ‘lowball offer.’ The UFC CEO publicly dismissed those claims, insisting Jones was “never ever” going to be part of the card. But Tom Aspinall, speaking in an interview with Ariel Helwani, looked at the situation from a different angle, one focused less on rivalry and more on the business realities of the sport.

“Well, my reaction to that, and this is going to probably be crazy to a lot of people listening, but why is the UFC not giving Jon the respect he deserves financially?” Aspinall told Ariel Helwani. “That’s crazy to me. If anyone should be getting paid a lot in this sport, it should be Jon Jones for the stuff that he’s done. And that’s me saying that after the history that I’ve had with Jon Jones. If anybody should be getting money in this sport, it’s Jon Jones.”

The heavyweight champion also referenced reports that Jones had previously been offered around $30 million to fight him, a deal that ultimately never materialized. And during the recent negotiations, Jones’ team reportedly sought a figure similar to that earlier offer, but the UFC was unwilling to meet that number. What puzzled Aspinall was why the same figure wasn’t put back on the table during the White House negotiations. As Ariel Helwani shared in their conversation, Jon Jones “…is actually more than a thirty million dollar fighter.”

“They offered him $30 million to fight me, so why haven’t they offered it to him again?”

The situation becomes even more interesting as recently Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing venture reportedly signed British boxer Conor Benn to a $15 million one-fight deal, a figure that caught the attention of multiple UFC fighters. Compared to that, Aspinall suggested that athletes like Jones and even Conor McGregor have historically generated massive revenue for the promotion and deserve better.

“I would hope so, but those guys who we’re talking about, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones and guys like that,” Aspinall said. “Those are the guys who brought in the revenue for over 10 years. They need to be getting paid what they deserve, in my opinion.”

Whether the two heavyweights ever meet in the Octagon remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: even rivals can agree on one point, if anyone in MMA has earned the right to demand a massive payday, Jon Jones might be at the very top of that list. Yet, according to Dana White, there’s another side to the story.

Dana White fires back at Jon Jones as White House snub leads to a heated feud

After Jon Jones vented on social media about being left out of the historic June 14 card, the UFC CEO addressed the situation directly following Zuffa Boxing 4. According to White, conversations with Jones did take place, but that doesn’t mean the fight was ever realistically going to happen.

“I never said that there were no negotiations,” White clarified. “I said, ‘Were they talking to Jon Jones? They talk to everybody.’ Everybody was talked to, but not one word of what I said was not true about the whole Jon Jones thing. How many times have I sat up here and said, ‘He’s not fighting at the White House?”

The UFC ultimately moved forward with Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title while undisputed champion Tom Aspinall continues his recovery following the eye surgery. That fight now serves as the co-main event of the Freedom 250 card, which features Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje as the headliner in a lightweight title unification bout.

White also pointed to Jon Jones’ health as another reason the matchup never materialized. During the press conference, he referenced footage circulating online that suggested the former champion had been dealing with significant hip issues, implying the promotion had legitimate concerns about his physical condition.

For the UFC, the focus has already shifted back to the cage. The White House card will move forward with an interim heavyweight title bout while Tom Aspinall continues his recovery. But the shadow of the Jones situation hasn’t disappeared. Because even if the fight never happens, the argument behind it remains: how much should the biggest names in MMA really be worth?