Joe Rogan Walks Back Jon Jones Statement After Talking to Dana White
Joe Rogan has clarified a statement he made on New Year’s Eve about UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, retracting his claim that Jones was seeking $30 million to fight interim champion Tom Aspinall.
On Wednesday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan revealed that UFC CEO Dana White personally contacted him to debunk the rumor.
“I have to correct something. I had heard a rumor that Jon Jones wanted $30 million to fight Tom Aspinall,” Rogan said. “And I did hear that the UFC said yes, but that’s not true.
”Dana contacted me and said that rumor is (expletive). So I felt obligated to tell everybody that was a fake rumor.”
The initial claim came as a surprise as there had been no prior reports about the definitive purse Jones could ask for fighting Aspinall.
Jones, however, is coming off a dominant victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in Nov. 2024 and is expected to demand a hefty amount of money to fight interim champion Aspinall in a heavyweight title unification bout.
With Aspinall currently holding the interim belt, a unification bout has already been confirmed by White at the end of last year.
“Yeah, I’ll say 100 percent,“ White said after UFC Tampa on Dec. 14. Dana explained the importance of booking Jones against Aspinall.
“100 percent (it’s a priority),” White said. “I think it’s probably the biggest fight in heavyweight history, and it’s a massive in the history of the company, too. It’s a big fight.”
On his podcast, Rogan also addressed Jones’ future in the sport, hinting at his potential retirement.
“Apparently Jon is thinking about retiring,” Rogan said. “He’s the GOAT. He can fight whenever he wants to fight. Just leave him alone.”
