Jon Jones doesn’t seem keen on stepping into the Octagon with Tom Aspinall—or at least, that’s the impression many have gotten from his recent statements and social media posts. Ever since Aspinall claimed the interim heavyweight title, fans have been clamoring for the ‘undisputed’ champ, Jones, to face him and unify the belts, as tradition demands.

But Jones has been anything but eager. After ridiculing and belittling Aspinall at every turn failed to silence the growing demand for the fight, ‘Bones’ appears to have a new strategy to dodge the matchup—pricing himself out. According to reports, Jones has demanded an eye-popping $25 million in show money, plus his usual PPV cut, to take on the Englishman.

Such a staggering figure would be the highest paycheck in MMA history, and many believe it’s a deliberate move to avoid the fight altogether, as it’s a number the UFC would likely be unwilling—or unable—to pay. Still, Jones found an unlikely ally in Jake Paul, a vocal critic of UFC fighter pay, who has come out in support of Jones’ massive demand.

However, not everyone is on board. UFC analyst and former star Chael Sonnen thinks the $25 million figure is nothing short of outrageous, adding fuel to the already heated debate. Is Jones ducking Aspinall, or is he just pushing for the payday he believes he deserves? The MMA world remains divided as the heavyweight showdown that fans crave continues to hang in the balance.

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 07: Jon Jones is interviewed by Joe Rogan during the UFC 247 ceremonial weigh-in at the Toyota Center on February 7, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Speaking to fans on his YouTube channel, ‘Uncle Chael’ was curious as to why ‘The Problem Child’ even felt that Jones should be paid that much. However, being the business-minded man that he is, Sonnen, instead of dismissing Paul and Jones’ statements, asked the celebrity boxer to explain just how paying ‘Bones’ $25 million for the fight makes sense.

“I get why this would be said [that Jones deserves $25 million in flat fee plus PPV cut for fighting Aspinall]. But this is so far out of the box that I would love it if Jake… [would] just write it down, just give a rough idea of where that money is going to come from. If it’s a 25 million guarantee to both guys, so $50 million right out of the gate. There’s some sports where you could do that. But one thing about the UFC [is]… in the UFC you will get what you earn,” Sonnen said.

And Sonnen went even further and asserted confidently that even Paul didn’t actually believe Jones deserved $25 million flat to fight Aspinall. The former superstar felt that if Dana White approached Paul to ask him to make the fight and pay Jones what he demanded, even Paul would flat-out refuse. Why? Well, again, because Sonnen felt the heavyweight unification fight, as in-demand as it was, would simply not do the kind of numbers to pay Jones the biggest ever paycheck in the sport.

“And where would that [money] come from? What if Dana released him [Jones] to him [Paul]? What if Dana said… I’ll loan him out, you’re going to be [paying them] the same money you said you said, 50 million guarantee. Would you [Paul] then do it? No, of course not. For heaven’s sake who would be your benefactor? There’s nothing that would come in [in revenue].” Sonnen added. Of course many feel Jones not fighting Aspinall will change the way Jones is seen in the history of MMA. But, a UFC veteran totally disagrees.

Matt Brown thinks people will soon forget about Jon Jones ‘ducking’ Aspinall

Jon Jones, of course, is considered the greatest person ever to lace up fingerless gloves. However, many, especially at the moment, feel that the champ refusing to face Aspinall will forever be a stain on his legacy that could jeopardize his GOAT status.

But former UFC star Matt Brown doesn’t think so. The former UFC welterweight, on a recent podcast, said that while it is true that Jones will cop a lot of criticism for ‘ducking’ Aspinall, it will subside as time goes on since fight fans have short memories.

“Totally agree. Maybe for a day or two there will be people on Reddit saying Jones retired cause he was scared of Aspinall. By next year he will still be the greatest ever or by next week. No one’s going to be like, ‘Oh, Jon’s not the greatest ever because he didn’t fight Tom Aspinall,” Brown said.

Jones, of course, is slated to face Stipe Miocic in a legacy-defining fight this November at the iconic Madison Square Garden, after which most expect him to retire. And his demand for $25 million to fight the interim champ has only reinforced this view. Yet, what effect it would have on his legacy, remains to be seen. What are your thoughts on Jon Jones demanding $25 million to fight Aspinall?