Jon Jones and the art of the deal
“I don’t need him at all, and he needs me,” said Jones. “That’s a good place to be in a negotiation.”
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After defeating Stipe Miocic, we are witnessing another masterful performance by Jon Jones… but this time at negotiating
Jon Jones doesn’t need a fight against Tom Aspinall.
The most powerful man in the fight world–UFC CEO Dana White–has repeatedly proclaimed Jones to be the best ever. Aspinall is a nice fighter, but a win against him will not do much for Jones’ legacy, which is already secure.
And Jones knows it.
It doesn’t matter that Jones is UFC heavyweight champion and Aspinall is interim champ. Jones has repeatedly stated he prefers a bout against Alex Pereira.
“I’ll retire the heavyweight belt if I have to,” said Jones in the post UFC 309 press conference at Madison Square Garden. “I’m at a place now where I want these superfights. I don’t want to find dangerous up-and-comers anymore. I want to fight dangerous established champions. So Tom can have the heavyweight championship, I don’t really care about it. My value doesn’t lie in belts anymore, I’ve created something much bigger. I want Pereira.”
This is absolutely brilliant. And it’s all true.
As unstoppable as Jones has proven to be in the cage, perhaps his true deftness now is outside of it. Jones knows he has White–and the UFC–in a very unique spot.
Jones is extremely important to the UFC. After Francis Ngannou left the promotion as heavyweight champ and signed with PFL, there was the potential for a huge gap in the UFC’s heavyweight division. The thought of the PFL being more elite at anything would drive people throughout UFC mad. But that never happened. Jones won the vacant strap by defeating Ciryl Gane, a talented fighter–but one Ngannou had already beat. Jones then made his first title defense against Stipe Miocic last weekend at UFC 309. Miocic, of course, is the man Ngannou defeated to win the title.
See the pattern? Whatever Ngannou can do, Jones can do it better. And it is true. But that ceases to be the case if Jones vacates the title and fights Pereira.
Pereira plays a key role in all of this, too. He is a promoter’s dream come true, finding new ways to annihilate opponents and eager to fight as often as possible. Pereira is dripping with charisma, and the more he wins, the better it is for the UFC as a whole.
So why ever risk that against an unstoppable force like Jones? That is why is makes far more sense to keep Pereira in his own lane, while pitting Jones against Aspinall. And again, Jones knows this, too.
Jones has new tricks up his sleeve, ones far more intricate than the spinning back kick he unveiled to send Miocic into retirement. He is well aware of his extraordinary value, making the prospect of a bout against Aspinall extremely lucrative.
“I’m not really worried about the Tom fight,” said Jones. “I want the Pereira fight. If the UFC wants to have me back, that’s the fight they’ll make.”
The willingness to walk away makes Jones even more dangerous. And Jones isn’t the type to bluff.
“I don’t even want to call them ‘demands,’” said Jones. “I don’t want to put the wrong energy in the room.
“Whenever Dana wants me to fight is when I’ll fight as long as we can come to an agreement. I really want to make that clear. Dana and I have been closer now that we have ever been before.”
So… what will it take for Jones to agree to a title unification bout against Aspinall? That is a fight Jones would likely win; but his resistance to the matchup makes it that much more appealing.
Jones is playing this perfectly, and it is going to end with him getting paid an exorbitant amount for a bout against Aspinall.
“I’d want that ‘F--- you’ money,” said Jones. “My life is perfect without him. I don’t need him at all, and he needs me. That’s a good place to be in a negotiation.
“I want to be compensated to the point where if I won or lost, it really wouldn’t matter.”
Jones’ time as a fighter is nearing its expiration date. But he has never been in a better position as a negotiator, and he is about to get the paycheck he has always wanted.
Usman Nurmagomedov-Paul Hughes set for January
The PFL is setting up their biggest fight that does not include Francis Ngannou.
Usman Nurmagomedov against Paul Hughes is a main event anywhere in the world, and that will be the case on January 25 in Dubai.
This marks the beginning of a major partnership between PFL and Dubai, adding further fuel to the belief that the Middle East is quickly becoming the fight capital of the world.
Nurmagomedov (18-0) is Bellator’s undefeated lightweight champion, and his next defense will come against the spectacularly talented–yet still unproven–Hughes. It helped that Hughes (13-1) defeated AJ McKee by split decision last month at PFL’s “Battle of the Giants”, which effectively secured this title shot.
It will be especially interesting to see what unfolds outside the cage.
Nurmagomedov is expected to have his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner. Hughes could ramp up the stakes to an altogether new level by bringing in Conor McGregor to join his team. Hughes grew up as a massive fan of McGregor in Ireland, and McGregor has always been appreciative and supportive in return.
The PFL needs a strong showing in their Dubai debut. It looks like that is exactly what is going to happen.
The Pick ‘Em Section
Set your alarm clocks: the UFC Fight Night card in China starts at 6am ET.
UFC Fight Night in China bantamweight bout: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Pick: Deiveson Figueiredo
UFC Fight Night in China women’s strawweight bout: Tabatha Ricci vs. Yan Xiaonan
Pick: Yan Xiaonan
UFC Fight Night in China welterweight bout: Song Kenan vs. Muslim Salikhov
Pick: Song Kenan
UFC Fight Night in China women’s flyweight bout: Wang Cong vs. Gabriella Fernandes
Pick: Wang Cong
UFC Fight Night in China light heavyweight bout: Carlos Ulberg vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Pick: Volkan Oezdemir
Last week: 4-0
2024 record: 107-82