What will it take for Jon Jones to get into the cage against Tom Aspinall? That’s been the question on the MMA sphere’s mind for a while. Jones is the seasoned veteran and undisputed heavyweight champion, a fighter who’s redefined greatness in the sport. The interim champion, Aspinall, on the other hand, represents the new guard—a powerful, technical heavyweight eager to cement his place in history.

Well, Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller, a veteran of the sport, recently added more fuel to the fire during an interview with ‘The Schmo’. His comments hinted at the staggering payday it might take to lure Jones back to the cage. The question looms: are the UFC and Dana White prepared to write a check large enough to get the fight fans are clamoring for?

Dana White receives a bold demand to get Jon Jones “off the couch” and into the cage against Tom Aspinall  

During a conversation on YouTube with ‘The Schmo’, Miller didn’t mince his words. When asked about what the rumored “mega fight” the UFC head honcho has been teasing was, ‘Mayhem’ had a straightforward response.

He proclaimed, “No, no, you guys did that. He’s teasing because you guys said we want Tom Aspinall and we want Jon Jones. We want it. And you guys, made it happen. Dana White didn’t want that to happen, you guys made it happen.”

So, what would it take for the fight to become a reality and not remain another ‘what if’? Reports had emerged that Jones was asking for a $30 million payday to take on the British interim heavyweight champion. Joe Rogan, who inadvertently fanned the flames of this debate, recently backtracked on claims that the UFC was ready to fork out the massive purse for the clash.

In a recent episode of the JRE, the UFC color commentator clarified, “And I did hear that rumor and I did hear that the UFC said yes. But it is not true, Dana contacted me and said that rumor is bulls**t.”

Still, the conversation refuses to die. According to Miller, “I mean look, they’re floating around $30 million? Jon Jones ain’t getting off the couch for less than 29. I think that, look, they have enough money in the sport to pay them boys enough to let us have a great fight. Like arguably, the best fight of the entire year and it’s coming up. Look, Jon ain’t getting no younger, we ain’t getting no younger, let’s do the damn fight Tom Aspinall.”

Miller’s point isn’t just about the money; it’s about the timing. At 37, Jones has nothing left to prove—except, perhaps, that he’s still the baddest man on the planet. The Stipe Miocic bout, marred by controversy over Miocic’s three-year absence prior, didn’t exactly satisfy the narrative Jones may want to leave behind. But a title unification bout with Tom Aspinall might just do that.

In fact, the British interim champion has also fired off a cheeky jab at Dana White’s often repeated argument about Jon Jones’s ‘P4P’ (pound for pound) status recently!

Aspinall takes a shot at White’s recent U-turn on ‘Bones’ P4P greatness

Tom Aspinall isn’t one to shy away from sharing his thoughts. As the potential clash with Jon Jones dominates the speculation about his next fight, the interim heavyweight champion recently found himself raising an eyebrow at Dana White’s latest declaration. White, a longtime defender of Jones as the pound-for-pound king, recently shifted gears, placing lightweight champion Islam Makhachev atop the throne after his dominant performance at UFC 311.

Aspinall, not one to let an opportunity slip by, stated on his YouTube channel, “As we all know, to me, pound-for-pound is a lot of made-up stuff. I don’t look into that. But it’s just funny that he’s kind of jumped ship now from Jon Jones to Islam.”

Could the jab be a thinly veiled push for Dana White to set up the Jones vs Aspinall bout? It remains to be seen. But there might be hope for fans wanting to see the unification bout between the two heavyweight titans. In a recent interview with Jim Rome, White confessed, “We’re in the works, we’re talking on it, I mean, I’ve said that I am very confident that fight happens this year. Nothing’s holding it up it’s just a matter of getting it done. You know, this stuff is not as easy to put these types of fights together as people think they are.”

As such, Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller’s bold comments and Dana White’s cautious optimism have only added fuel to the fire. Is $30 million the magic number? Or will it take more than just money to get Jon Jones into the Octagon with Tom Aspinall? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!