Sean O'Malley and his coach, Tim Welch, discussed the earning potential of the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight. Jones secured his first heavyweight title defense with a third-round KO of Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. A title unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall seems likely next.
On the TimboSugarShow podcast aired on Nov. 26, O'Malley and coach Welch discussed whether the pay-per-view event headlined by Jones vs. Aspinall could break previous sales records. Comparing the fight with the recent Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match, O'Malley said:
"I don't think it's going to hit anywhere near Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul."
Welch replied:
"Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall won't be the biggest pay-per-view of all time. Dude, nowadays, how many people are going to stream it?"
O'Malley further stated that Jones vs. Aspinall could potentially be the highest-selling pay-per-view event of the last five years but may not get close to breaking the all-time record, saying:
"It's not going to be bigger than Conor vs. Floyd. Most people don't buy pay-per-views... It's too expensive. [Lowering the pay-per-view] price is not the issue. It's just that it's too easy to do it for free."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (10:43):
For reference, UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor is the highest-grossing PPV event in UFC history. Meanwhile, McGregor's crossover boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 is the second-highest-selling boxing PPV of all time and the highest ever involving an MMA fighter.
Jon Jones does not want to fight "dangerous up-and-comers" like Tom Aspinall
While social media reactions suggest massive fan interest in watching Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, 'Bones' has shown little interest in fighting the Brit. The 37-year-old has refused to give Aspinall a shot, citing a relatively more minor track record of defeating elite competitors.
Jones reiterated his stance on the issue in the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. He added that he's more interested in fighting fellow veterans like Alex Pereira at this stage of his career:
"I feel like I'm at a place where I want to take what I find to be super-fights. I don't want to fight dangerous up-and-comers anymore. I want to fight dangerous, established champions. So Tom Aspinall could have the heavyweight championship. I don't even care about it."
Check out Jon Jones' comments below (5:17):
While 'Bones' seems adamant about fighting other veterans, Aspinall believes that he's "secretly" interested in fighting him.