The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Daniel Cormier TV - Daniel Cormier REACTS to Jon Jones wanting $30 MILLION to fight Tom Aspinall

Episode Date: January 8, 2025

Joe Rogan recently came out and said Jon Jones wants $30 million from the UFC to fight Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight championship, and DC is here to give you his REACTION to this MASSIVE update in the Jones-Aspinall saga. Plus, Cormier GOES IN ON why $30 million is WAY MORE than any other fighter is getting per fight in the UFC. And don't miss DC give his take on why a Jones loss is THE BEST RESULT for the UFC as a company, even with a guy like Alex Pereira still being a huge superstar in the sport. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Vodin Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng.com slash MMA. So we're back. 2025. We got to get rocking. We got to get rolling. And just as the year turned, it seemed as though the topics started to kind of pop up again and mix martial arts. But one topic that we were talking about last year that has already made its way into 2025. And I think that speaks to how anticipations. this fight is, is Jones versus Aspinall. But the latest update in that situation comes from Joe Rogan,

speaking about what he says that Jones wants and what he thinks is going to happen in regards to that ask. So Joe Rogan was on his podcast the other day speaking about the John Jones Tom Aspinall situation. And he said, John Jones said he wants $30 million to fight. Tom Aspinall. I'll tell you guys right now as a person that has been involved in big fights, a person that has sold pay-per-views, a person that at his time was at the top of the pay scale in the UFC as the heavyweight and light heavyweight champion.

$30 million was literally a world away from anything we were making. I remember when I got paid in New York. I got like a big bump to take a fight on three weeks notice, which ultimately became my salary, and people were astounded with the number. But I will tell you, it was a fraction of what that number that he's asking for is. It was nowhere near that. But I've heard now rumors that the higher end guys are making more,

the Israel Edisanias, the John Jones, the Steep Amiochich. I heard that Steep Amiotich made big money for the last fight. So when you hear stuff like what this guy made $7 million, generally, you go, well, he probably made about five, right? Three to five. But hell, if he's making $3 to $5 million to fight on that night to go get beat up like he did, no wonder Stepe Amiochit said, I'm going to fight, right? but again, that is a world away from $30 million.

Connor McGregor comes back to fight and goes, I want $30 million to fight. The UFC considers it. Why? Because when Connor McGregor was scheduled to fight at International Fight Weekend, the gate was $22 million. Sustainable business. You got to be able to sustain your business

if you're going to be paying those types of numbers. Connor makes $22 million at the gate. Connor has sponsorships. Connor definitely sells a million and a half, two million pay-per-views. You can almost understand Connor McGregor saying, give me $30 million and why it might happen. I don't know if Jones does that. Let me look at the gate from Madison Square Garden.

UFC 3. Let's see. Jones versus Mietchich Gate. A $16 million. A gate. That's a massive gate. That's a massive gate from John Jones. Okay. How many pay-per-views did they sell? Now, when you start looking at it like that, you start going, I don't know if his ass is as crazy as people are seeing. You can do 16 mill at the gate. You can do whatever you do on pay-per-view. You've got sponsorships for the fight night. Those

aren't yours. You aren't bringing them in, but there are sponsors on fight night. Now, ask is not so crazy. Rogan thinks that the UFC is going to pay it. Rogan thinks that the UFC will pay to $30 million to get John Jones in there with Tom Aspinall. I'm not sure he gets to 30, but if you ask for 30 and you get 20 or you get 15, that's a win for John Jones on his way out, right, especially living in Albuquerque, where everything is so dang cheap. I mean, it's not like he's not living in California. So it's a big number. And when

you ask for that, it makes people start talking. Yambovovich said he feels like Jones is a little afraid of Aspenov. That's why he's called out Pereira and asking for so much money. One thing, Jones isn't afraid. I think we've covered that time and time again. Jones is not afraid of Tom Aspinall. I think Jones recognizes, though, that this is a unique challenge and one that if he isn't on his game, Tom Aspinall can win, or at least it would seem that way. So, Bisbing said,

or he made headlines saying, Jones had a stroke of genius by denying Aspinall from the jump because it drove the man through the roof. It's all supply and demand, right, guys? Everything's supply and demand. When someone wants something, you can charge more for it.

I remember when I bought a PlayStation 5 back around the pandemic, I paid $1,300 for a gaming console because I wanted it so bad and they made it seem like it was never going to come out and it was impossible to get. So I was willing to pay so much to get it because I wanted to have it.

Now, since the demand isn't as high, you can get a PlayStation 5 for 300 bucks. $300. You get a PlayStation 5. Jones said, I ain't doing it. So then it made people go, I want this. I want this. And when you want something, especially you, the fan, because you drive everything.

When you want something bad, the UFC tends to make it happen. Will it make it happen to the 2-30 mil? I don't know. I wouldn't say that it would happen. But what I do know is that they will be far more willing to have the conversation. So for all the times and everybody has said how horrible Jones is and he's stupid, he's idiot. me being at the lead of this. Very smart in the way that he's approached this,

especially if he wins. Imagine if he wins. Imagine what happens to mixed martial arts if John Jones beats Tom Aspenall, after Tom Aspenol being the guy that everybody thought could beat him. At the Tom Aspinall doing what he's done to the heavyweight division, imagine if he wins. Imagine a position he will find himself in

in terms of negotiating power then. because for the company, for the UFC to move forward without John Jones after all this time, this guy has been three generations of fighters, for them to move forward without John Jones, they need him to lose. He needs to lose. He can't go and leave this thing undefeated.

For it to work, for Tom Aspinall to come out like this big, shiny new thing to be the next big superstar, he has to beat John Jones. Because if Jones beats him or if John just walks away, no matter what Tom Aspinall does, there will always be that cloud that hangs over him while you didn't beat John Jones.

That's a problem. Because the way it looks right now, after what he did, the Curtis Blades, the way it looked against Sergey, the way he has dominated the division, the way he has dominated the division, makes him almost like Francis when Francis became a champion.

You can see him and go, this dude is the baddest man on the planet. But if he doesn't get a chance to beat Jones, it won't matter what happens. Now, Jones wins. I don't know that it hurts the UFC unless he walks away. If he stays and he keeps fighting,

then they continue to make money hand over fist. And he will also continue to make money handle a fist. Chale Sutton believes that this is it for John Jones one time, one massive payday and he's done. If he wins and he walks away, bad for the UFC. If he wins, continues to compete. That's a great thing for the UFC because he'll be a biggest star than he's ever been. But supply and demand, as long as you guys are asking for it,

as long as you guys are demanding that we see these two fight, the organization will go to different lengths to try to make it happen. To the 2 and 30 mil, I don't know. I don't know. But when I look at Madison Square Garden, I see a $16.5 million gate, I'm like, man, it really don't sound that crazy anymore.

It really don't sound that crazy. But John Jones ain't scared. John Jones has done probably the smartest negotiating I've ever seen him do for a kid that has spent that much time in this position. They'll fight. They'll fight because I think they'll make it happen.

But when you start hearing all those numbers, You start realizing how big and how much the UFC is moving forward in fighting in terms of being more aligned with some of the other sports around the world. Jones leaves, you can do whatever you want. We could go Aspinall versus Pereira. We could go Aspinall versus this guy, this guy, doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Because even though Francis and Ghanu isn't the name. that John Jones is.

People were saying when Jones became champ, well, he didn't beat Francis, right? There was a break in the heavyweight championship timeline, if you want to say it like that. We could make massive fights, but it will never overcome the idea that John Jones left us the champ. And then that would happen two times back to back.

So it would be a massive mistake. They've got to get him in there with Aspernaw. And you've got to hope that Aspinall wins if you want the heavyweight title to continue being what the heavyweight title has been. Because if he doesn't, and Jones goes, I'm walking away as the greatest of all time as the reigning heavyweight champion. It's going to be a big shadow that the UFC heavyweight division will have to live under. But yeah, this dude about to get paid. This dude is about to get paid.

Supply and demand, ladies and gentlemen, John Jones has got something, he's got something that people want. And he's being smart about the way that he's allowing you to have. access to it. So 30 mil fraction, guys, of what we were making at the top end. But man, some of these numbers I'm here now, 7, 8, 10. These boys out here getting paid, man, and I'm happy for them. Guys, until next time, like, subscribe, tell you friends about my YouTube channel, because I'm here all the time, baby, and we're going to drop more, and we're dropping more, and we're dropping more, we're going to just keep hitting you with video after video.

And boy, next week, UFC 311. in Los Angeles. Well, we got some check-ins for you. They're about to be sick. It's 2025, baby. Let's go. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers.

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Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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